Statue of Liberty trip a rite of passage

Since its dedication in 1886, a requisite part of the pilgrimage to the Statue of Liberty was the long climb up through the center of the statue to the crown high above New York harbor.

Actually, it was more like a rite of passage since getting there entailed climbing a spiral metal staircase that got ever steeper and scarier as one neared the crown. If you didn't have acrophobia when you started, you were likely to by the time you arrived. And there was plenty of time to contemplate the deep drop-off down through the statue because the line edged up the 162 steps only grudgingly. On summer days there was the rich, moist odor of your fellow pilgrims, sweaty from having climbed up through the pedestal just to get to the statue proper. And once a person was in the crown, the view was constrained by the cramped access to the small, generally smeared, windows.

Still, it was a very American experience and one that, once a person was safely back down on the pedestal, with the same view, fresh air and a reassuring parapet, conferred a sense of accomplishment.

Like much else, that all changed on 9/11. The Liberty Island was closed to visitors for three months, and when it was reopened the statue was off-limits to visitors. The National Park Service cited not security but safety in keeping the crown closed — the difficulty of extricating someone who fell ill, succumbed to a panic attack or underestimated the exertion required.

But some political leaders thought closing an American icon to the public after 9/11 was unfortunate symbolism, an excess of caution if not actual cowardice. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., told the Washington Post: "If there were ever a facility that should be completely reopened, it is the National Park closest to ground zero." The Park Service's safety and health concerns are valid, but surely there are ways they can be addressed.

Two of those who backed a bill to reopen the statue are President-elect Barack Obama and his nominee to be interior secretary, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. That should be enough clout to restore this rite of passage.