The Statue of Liberty is open again. It is one of our most cherished symbols. But there is new symbolism reflecting a changing world.
"I think it shows the world that liberty cannot be intimidated," Craig Manson, the Assistant Interior Secretary, said about the reopening.
But Liberty was intimidated for nearly three years after the 9/11 attacks. And you still can't climb the stairs to the top and look out on New York -- first stop in the New World. It's just too unsafe, they tell us.
You can see the interior details of the Statue by looking up Lady Liberty's skirt -- through a glass cieling -- talk about symbolism.
You must walk through security checkpoints, be searched for explosives, and walk past the armed S.W.A.T. teams ready to repel a terrorist attack.
A spokeswoman told NPR it was a balance of 'security and liberty.'
As W.C. Fields said, "All things considered. I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
Philadelphia was Ben Franklin's stomping ground.
Remember him? The guy who said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Never a good trade.
