We cannot have divisiveness at the center of our memorial.

Why is it we want so badly to memorialize ourselves? Even while we're still alive. We wish to assert our existence, like dogs peeing on fire hydrants. We put on display our framed photographs, our parchment diplomas, our silver-plated cups; we monogram our linen, we carve our names on trees, we scrawl them on washroom walls. It's all the same impulse. What do we hope from it? Applause, envy, respect? Or simply attention, of any kind we can get?
At the very least we want a witness. We can't stand the idea of our own voices falling silent finally, like a radio running down.

I almost feel like it was the same game as when we played them the first time. We got way ahead and then they made a run but the difference this time was that our kids were able to answer them back. We're getting better. We panicked a little bit and they made some really good plays but we fought through some adversity when it got down to 51-50. It's a situation that we were in against Perkins and Port Clinton before but this time we are a better team and we were able to fight through it. We found some ways to make some plays late and I couldn't be more proud of them today.

The Freedom Center stands for what was attacked that day here and around the world. The idea that we are going to allow the Freedom Center to get hijacked from the political right or from the political left is something that none of us will stand for.

This vision for the Freedom Center should be a tribute, a celebration of those men and women who through the course of history have moved us forward in our march to freedom.

There were often times the city was questioning itself whether this was worth it or not.