Barricades

As the barricades around the Jefferson Memorial are becoming permanent, our nation is moving toward limiting access to everything. What's next, a wall around the Grand Canyon? A visit to Philadelphia reveals the same thing, our nation's greatest landmarks are surrounded by the most atrocious-looking blocks of concrete you can find. The reasons are well known, but the mindset that we can protect every interest by building walls around it just doesn't seem American. I want to be able to visit the Washington Monument without squeezing through a barricade and slipping past guards with high-powered rifles.

America does have to work hard in a post-9/11 world to make sure that we are not "open" but at some point the questions have to be raised about what is suitable for us to live with. How much of our access do we limit in order to protect? Wouldn't these barricades be better served on the border with Mexico? It's a bit like putting up a fence directly around your house rather than around your yard.