Anyone else think it odd that not once since 9-11...

[KansDem]

...has any mention been made about the safety and security of the Charters of Freedom (The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence)?

As far as I can ascertain, that part of the National Archives that houses these documents was closed for restoration. The Charters are kept in environmentally-controlled cases that descend into a bomb-proof vault in time of emergency. Perhaps those documents were safe in their vault during this time due to the restoration work being being performed. Or perhaps they were exposed in their viewing position while work was being done on the vault or elevator mechanism. In either case, that doesn’t explain why no one from this Administration has come forth to assure us that the most valued documents in our nation's history were either out-of-danger or moved beyond danger that day. After all, who's to know the attackers didn't want to destroy that part of our nation by flying a fully-fueled plane into the Archives. Unless, of course, this Administration knew the Archives were not a target…

[tinanator]

1. Far odder

Not one terrorist attack since then, unless you want to count the Anthrax deal. GW sure has gotten better at protecting us from alla them terrists.

[hippiechick]

2. They're all so scared of George ...

... that they're all in spidey-hidey-holes in Iraq. We've got them surrounded and freedom is on the march.

Didn'tcha know that ? :silly:

[tinanator]

7. freedom on the march, that really galls me

Freedom doesnt march, oppression does.
Freedom stands. Of course I know you know that, but the marketing of imperial fascism is really hard to stomach.

[KansDem]

5. Yeah, he has "bad intelligence" regarding 9-11 and Iraq invasion...

But apparently has "good intelligence" regarding Syria and Iran...

Without a scorecard, I just can't keep it straight... :shrug:

[mark11727]

9. I've always interpreted "bad intelligence" to mean "stupid".

For example:

"The invasion of Irag was due to bad intelligence"

really means:

"The invasion of Irag was stupid"

My 0.02

[DemoTex]

17. The attacks happen when, and only when, Bu$hco wants them to happen.

LIHOP.

[Last Lemming]

3. Last I checked

these documents were secured by Diebold Corporation, a leading player in the field of document safety

[Last Lemming]

4. I'm not kidding

[KansDem]

8. A retroactive "You're kidding...!"

Never knew that. That really makes me scared. :scared:

When Ollie North is seen lurking around the Archives building, that'll do it for me!

[seemslikeadream]

10. Diebold vaults protecting the Constitution

In case someone just doesn't believe you. :hi:

• 18 September 2003
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Three customized, high-tech vaults produced by Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), are now safeguarding the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

According to a news release, the recently renovated rotunda and re-encasement of the Charter documents was unveiled during a private ceremony at the National Archives on Sept. 17; the rotunda re-opens to the public today.

The archive renovation included an overhaul of the security system safeguarding the Charters and eliminated the steps in the Rotunda so the documents are accessible to all visitors. The transformation also included a redesign of the permanent exhibit cases so all four pages of the U.S. Constitution are prominently displayed.

To complement the installation of the vaults, Diebold also installed a state-of-the-art system that allows the documents to be displayed during the day and returned to secure vaults overnight.



http://www.atmmarketplace.com/news_story_16879.htm

[gandalf]

19. That is irony at its best! Great find!

Even worse, it is grotesque.

[pnutchuck]

6. Just one more thing to keep me frustrated....

but a good question anyway...

[SpiralHawk]

11. Not even a half-assed investigation by the press into 9/11

No tough questions whatsoever about 9/11 and the massive Bush & cronies failures on that day.

Even with nearly an hour of warning, they couldn't even muster a pop gun to defend the Pentagon. Shameful.

Bush and the Republicans failed America in its hour of need. Now the press is failing America by "neglecting" to ask any questions.

[leveymg]

12. Osama bin Laden said that if al Qaeda attacked because they hate freedom

the target on 9/11 would have been Sweden. On that one, I believe him.

Really, the Jihadists have no more interest in wasting resources on paper documents of the 18th Century than we would bother bombing the Karbala in Mecca.

9/11 was about demonstrating global power, about civil war in Saudi Arabia, and it's about who controls the upstream supply of oil in the Persian Gulf states. None of this was imagined by the Framers, ost of whom would be shocked and appalled by the Empire we have become.

[KansDem]

16. Agreed, however, *no one* assured this nation that its most cherished...

...documents were safe and secure after the attack. I could more readily see a spokesman assure Islam that Mecca was safe and secure following Bush's "Shock and Awe" attack on Baghdad, even though the two are hundred of miles apart. The image of Westerners bombing the hell out of Iraq surely must have frightened residents in the Mideast and cause concern for their institutions. I think the same comforting comments coming from the Bush Administration could have help assuage Americans of their feelings of insecurity and vulnerability following the 9-11 attacks. But yet...nothing. Why?

[leveymg]

18. I vaguely recall just such assurances were made within a

few days of the 9/11 attacks. I, like most everyone, was glued to the TV, radio and internet at that time, and there were a lot of such statements. Sorry I can't be more specific in my recollection.

[Last Lemming]

13. There's one more thing

I somehow scared up an article dated two to three years ago that discussed missing doucuments in the national archive. Funny thing, this was some correspondence about national income tax--leading Americans writing about it's (definite) validity. Something a nocon might love to have disappear.

I'm wondering if this relates to Sandy Berger's dust-up

[mcscajun]

14. From the National Archives...

Washington, DC. . . The National Archives Building, the home of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and millions of other historically-valuable documents, in downtown Washington, DC, is undergoing a major renovation that began in February 2000. The research side of the building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, will remain open for business throughout the renovation. The exhibition side, on Constitution Avenue, closed for renovation on July 5, 2001 and will reopen in 2003.

The renovation of the Rotunda and the surrounding exhibition space will include: restoring the two oversized murals by Barry Faulkner depicting the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; reconfiguring the display cases for the Charters of Freedom so that all four pages of the Constitution can be displayed (currently only the first and last pages can be displayed;) and so that the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights will be accessible to handicapped visitors; and constructing new exhibition space to showcase some of the highlights from the National Archives collection. While the Rotunda is under construction, the Charters of Freedom are being removed from their current encasements, examined by conservators, and re-encased in new airtight containers made of aluminum, titanium, and glass that will be filled with argon gas.

(snip)

The Charters are being examined and their current condition documented. Baseline photographs are being taken. This is the first opportunity to examine the documents outside the glass enclosure in 50 years. When their condition warrants it, the documents are receiving conservation treatment. Practice and experience with rehousing the transmittal page into the prototype has helped the process of examination, treatment, mounting, and encasing the remaining pages.

The documents are safe today, and the National Archives being what they are, I have no problem with secrecy surrounding the specifics of what was done to keep them safe on 9/11. That's the kind of thing security folk don't talk about. If I tell you now, I won't be able to it that way again.

[KansDem]

15. Thanks for this information...

I agree security measures should not be revealed, however, I just thought that someone should have appeared in public to assure the American people that their Charters of Freedom were safe and secure. After all, this was an attack...

As it stands, the appearance of "no comment" at all is suspicious. At best, it's a "What Constitution...? Oh, that one...!" moment, and, at it's worst, someone knew the Charters were not a target, and therefore, never considered...