“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
– BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, November 11, 1755
We need Ben to come back and talk to the current governor.
Following 9/11/2001 it was decided to take the Liberty Bell off the street and enclose it in “Liberty Bell Center”. At first glance it doesn’t look like a horrible idea, we’re all about making deities out of our national symbols in this country and this is in keeping with that. I first saw the bell in 2005 when the Philly and DC LinuxChix met up and we went around to see the sights.
I was shocked at the process to see the bell, this is what I wrote about it at the time:
They now have security, metal detectors and x-ray machines that everyone has to go through to get to the bell. It’s absurd! The detectors are so sensitive that you need to take off belts, watches and anything that even has the smallest bit of metal. We all decided that this security nonsense is not worth it, people need to stop being so scared. Once you go through that and put your clothes back on, you walk through this building that has lots of informative displays, complete with lamps shaped like the liberty bell. It all had the post-modern feel that I’m not a big fan of. Eventually we got to the bell.
3 years later, nothing has changed, except that I refuse to go through such measures to see it now.
Long line on a Saturday waiting to enter the center
Sign outside the bell “visitors and all personal property are subject to a thorough search”
You are subject to a thorough search prior to seeing a national artifact that represents liberty? They’re doing it wrong.
Near the entrance to center, with armed guard
The glass prison, you can just barely see the bell from the outside
It all makes me sick. One article I read claims that the security measures are renewed yearly, so they can be revised. I hope this is the case, and that we’ll soon snap out of our paranoia about terrorists… bombing? breaking? kicking? licking? our silly broken bell. Is there a Liberate the Liberty Bell group yet? There should be. Let’s start one.
And just as a final note, putting American flag bunting on fences doesn’t make keeping Independence Hall fenced and guarded any more American.
Wednesday, Sep 24th, 2008 at 6:11
A search needed before you enter a museum? Was it for just this exhibit or is it now policy in all museums in the US? Just seems a little harsh….