battalion51 said:
It's like corporate sponsorship of sporting venues, Pro Player Stadium will always be Joe Robie Stadium to me.
Not really. Corporate sponsors pay money, and not nearly enough, for the privilege of putting their name on a stadium.
This is being done to honor a man who dedicated his life to this country. Regardless of anyone's politics or whether or not you personally liked or disliked Senator Moynihan, the simple fact is that he dedicated his life to this country.
He spent 24 years in the Senate and before that served as an Ambassador to both the UN and India. He also served four Presidents from Kennedy to Ford in either a Cabinet or sub-Cabinet position, the first person to ever accomplish that feat. That means that he served this country for over 40 years in Government. Plus he spent 3 years in the Navy from 1944 to 1947.
Finally he also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000, this Nation's highest civilian honor.
Additionally while Moynihan was a solid Democrat, it should be noted that a Republican Governor and a Republican Mayor are the ones recommending this honor. Moynihan was well respected by both parties for his intelligence and his honor.
Finally, it's largely thanks to Senator Moynihan and his efforts, that we are going to be able to convert the post office into a new Penn Station. Without Senator Moynihan, we would probably be stuck with the current Penn Station for many more years to come.
That's vastly different than Pepsi spending a couple of thousand to get their name in lights.
Besides, I'm sure that many people will still refer to the station as Penn station. Especially since NJT and the LIRR will still occupy the current facility. Amtrak will use the reconfigured Farley Post Office which will then be renamed "Daniel Patrick Moynihan Station" in his honor, an honor that I think that he's earned.
By the way it should be noted, that it's an honor he didn't want. Several people tried to name it in his honor a few years ago, while the whole plan was still under discussion. He wouldn't let them. It’s only now that he’s gone and no longer able to protest, that they were able to name it after him.
Ps. B51, I know that you were just trying to make a simple comparison to explain why you would refer to Penn Station as "Penn Station". In fact I'll probably continue to call it Penn Station forever too. However I also wanted you to know why it wasn't really a fair comparison. I'm not trying to beat you up over it.
Additionally I wanted Amfleet to understand the significance of this honor.
Anyone who wants to read a little history about Senator Moynihan can check out
this page from 1010 WINS.com.