Posted by
Catmman on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 1:59:26 PM
Apparently, the National Parks Service believes the Statue was a gift from France to them, and not to America.
Read the nanny-statists and they're excuses about not re-opening the crown of the statue to tourists:
"We haven't been inclined to reopen the crown access to the Statue of Liberty because we can't ensure the health and safety of our visitors, regardless of terrorism," a national spokesman for NPS, David Barna, told FOXNews.com. "I don't expect the park service to change its mind."
The confined area is a fire hazard, Barna said. He added that visitors making the strenuous climb to the crown risk heat exhaustion and other health risks.
"We want to guarantee the best we can the health and safety of the general public," Barna said. - excerpted from FoxNews.com
Fire hazard? The statue is made of steel and copper. I thought fire couldn't melt steel? (couldn't help it)
So, instead of figuring out a way to make access easier or more comfortable, we'll just deny access?
And how about this ridiculous gem:
“That staircase was never meant for visitors. It’s a workman’s staircase,” Feeney said. He said it wasn't clear when the stairway to the crown became open to the public.
A staff study in the late 1990s found that it was a safety hazard to allow people to go up to the crown. In 2000, a private engineering company reached the same findings about safety issues and fire hazards, Feeney said. - excerpted from FoxNews.com
A workman's staircase? I guess that is a workman ventilation area at the top of the crown as seen in this photograph:
If there isn't some legitimate concern about damage to the structure itself (it was repired, refurbished and strengthened only twenty years ago), there should be no reason the people this monument was intended for should not be allowed to enjoy it.
Perhaps now, by the Park Service acting as a nanny-state agent, the statue is now representative of what America has become and stands for. Hmm.