Obama is opening the crown of the Statute of Liberty

At the Pinnacle of Liberty, Feeling a Bit Confined - NYTimes.com: "The statue was restored for its centennial in 1986, and has undergone other restorations since then. The torch, soaring about 306 feet above the foundation, has been closed since 1916, when German saboteurs blew up a munitions depot at the nearby Black Tom Wharf in New Jersey."

Some terrorists shut the statute down because of 9/11 in 2001. Liberty takes the back-seat of security again and again. Today the statue is reopened for Americans and for the people of the world. It was partly opened in 2004.

We see the effect of the 9/11 catastrophe here in Sweden with the FRA law. How much does the open society need to protect itself? Where do you set the limits? In the US they are now apparently so far away from 9/11 that the Statute of Liberty is no longer considered a target. How many years for AfPak to clear?

The trend against closing society might be slowly reversing in the US but what is the situation here in Sweden. Do people talk about freedom? Do they aspire to the same amount of security as the US with out the same amount of threat of terrorism?

Freedom and risk are connected. I used to in-line a few years ago. I used the bicycle path despite not having any brakes. A summer night at 20 m/h having the wind caressing your body is one measurement of freedom. If risk is not so important. What about responsibility then? With in-lining it was always possible to leave the path if it got too crowded. It would hurt but it was a real possibility.

The article I'm citing displays a whiff of ridicule of people wanting to honor freedom at Liberty Island. Is it not possible any longer for The New York Times to talk seriously about freedom? Is it so far away? Are the "siloviks" laughing at you? You want to be part of high society? For us common folks, however, freedom is still important. Some of us don't even know they have been robbed of it.