Fortress America: Locking Out The Public From Public Places

"...the last week has also offered reminders to visitors and residents of how much the everyday security measures have altered the life of the city. Access to public places has been significantly curtailed. The public landscape and streetscape have been scarred, in some cases permanently. And the economic costs are measured not only in out-of-pocket security costs, but in lost productivity for workers and a diminished experience for visitors.

After Sept. 11, 2001, much of this was inevitable, Either we are going to decide that, having made reasonable accommodations, we are willing to live with a certain level of unmitigated risk in order to preserve the Washington experience -- or we're going to go to the next level and accept the reality of living and working in a semi-permanent war zone."

Thanks to Richard Layman