Who are We "Securing?"

At the end of last summer, I took a trip to Philadelphia's Old Town. Being a student of American politics, I was eager to look upon Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's house and walk the cobbled streets where our founding fathers once tred.

Things always happen, whatever those "things" may be, when you least expect it. And sure enough, this happened during my visit. Before I get into that, however, let me set the context of my mental state. I was brought up being told (and believing) that this is the land of the free, that all men are created equal, that we should live free or die, and that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights....

So here I am, in what some may call the birthplace of American constitutional and political thought, in line, to see the Liberty Bell but what I see first are armed Wackenhut security guards and signs that say I am not allowed to chew gum or bring inside water bottles. I'm not kidding. And the building you're going into is not some pristine, richly-decorated, top-of-the-line visitor center. It is a very nice, light-filled building, however, and the flooring is slate tile while along the east side are picture and storyboards behind plexiglass. At the end of this rectangular building, behind guideropes that the Park Service meticulously monitor for those trying to stick a camera under, is the Bell itself. So, why no gum? Why no water bottles allowed? Why armed Wackenhut guards standing beside Park Service employees?

I fully understand making sure people don't put any part of their body under or past the ropes - it's a national treasure we're protecting. However, no gum? no water bottles? It was over 90 degrees outside that day - and yes, they were also doing full searches of our backpacks and belongings. Sweet land of liberty and the free? Methinks not.


After this experience, which really upset me quite a bit, I ended up on the banks of the Delaware River at one of the riverside parks and there was a U.S. Naval vessel docked there, the name of which I do not remember. In any event, to the left here is a picture of it. What is not shown, to the left of the ship on land, is a barricaded perimeter set up with a, I'm guessing, 24-hour guard watch. The soldier paced the area armed with an M-16. However, notice what is, or what is not, on the right side of the ship - any type of defensive protection! I didn't get a picture of it, but there were two guys on jet skis going up and down the river. What would be to stop them from getting close to this ship? What is there to stop them from having explosives on their skis and driving right at it? I would hope the land guard wouldn't be responsible for that area as well. So, why this lack of security - in this era of a "Global War on Terror" now that "everything has changed" in our post-9/11 world?

Moreover, why is there this serious lack of security around a U.S. Naval vessel at the same time I have Wackenhut guards (with guns!) as well as the Park Service officials "guarding" me with requests to search my private person, take out my gum and trash my water bottle? All I'm trying to do is view a symbol of the "freedom and liberty" that this country tells the rest of the world it has.