Close the Washington Monument

I think Bruce Schneier just posted one of the best article’s he’s ever tossed up on his blog. The post calls for closing the Washington Monument:

Securing the Washington Monument from terrorism has turned out to be a surprisingly difficult job. The concrete fence around the building protects it from attacking vehicles, but there’s no visually appealing way to house the airport-level security mechanisms the National Park Service has decided are a must for visitors. It is considering several options, but I think we should close the monument entirely. Let it stand, empty and inaccessible, as a monument to our fears.

I think he’s dead on here. Let’s just shut down the Washington Monument and let is stand as a testament to the fact we let the terrorists win by being allowed to be terrorized in the first place. We’ve tossed away so many of our rights and liberties in the false promise of security from terrorism that there is no doubt that the 9/11 attacks were a complete success.

Our politicians will claim that America refuses to be terrorized while at the same time justifying out of control legislation such as the PATRIOT Act and actions such as allowing TSA agents to sexually molest American citizens. But the actions of our politicians are done by preying on our fear of the terrorists meaning we have been terrorized. We let fear guide our willingness to turn over power to others who promised protection from that which we feared. This is how tyranny starts ladies and gentlemen, but surrendering our rights and liberties to those who claim to offer solutions to our perceived problems.