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> 07/04/2002 Liberty for All? (Ed Goppelt)
07/04/2002 Liberty for All? (Ed Goppelt)
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Liberty Medal Ceremony as Seen from Walnut Street
2002/07/04 One of the few views of the
2002 Liberty Medal
ceremony available to members
of the public without tickets.
Unlike in past years
tickets
were required to gain admittance.
The new location behind
Independence Hall was a welcome
change, prettier and more
comfortable than Independence Mall.
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Liberty Medal Ticket, Blue Class
2002/07/04 I almost didn't get into the
ceremony because I didn't have one
of these tickets. Only the kindness
of strangers--a lady had an extra
pair of tickets which she gave to
my girlfriend and me--allowed
us to attend the event.
The new policy took me by surprise.
I've been going to these events
for years and tickets have never been
required to attend. Neither
the announcement published in the Inquirer nor the Sunoco
Welcome America web site mentioned
that only ticketholders could
attend the ceremony.
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Inquirer Announcement of Liberty Medal Ceremony
2002/07/04 No mention is made in this
announcement which ran in the Inquirer
that members of the public
without tickets will be turned away.
In past years, no ticket was
required to attend the Liberty Medal Ceremony.
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Men in Black
2002/07/04 Two men in suits wearing earphones
patrol 6th St. Although there
was plenty of security around
these two agents were the exception:
most of the security people
I saw were dressed casually
like the crowd.
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Pro Israel Protestors
2002/07/04 In past years, the Liberty Medal ceremony
was a favorite location for
political demonstrations. I remember
a noisy pro-Mumia rally, some Korean protestors,
and anti-abortion folks.
This year the streets surrounding
the ceremony were cleared so
these protestors had to leave.
The First Amendment states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
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A Pack of Bike Cops Heads West on Walnut
2002/07/04 Although this pack of Philly police
swept by the ceremony, as far
as I could tell the feds were
firmly in command at today's ceremony.
Park Rangers, Uniformed State Dept. Security,
plainclothes operatives and possibly
Secret Service and/or FBI agents provided
event security.
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Security Checkpoint, 6th St.
2002/07/04 People wait in line to go through
one of two metal detectors.
As far as I was able to determine,
two classes of tickets were
handed out: blue (plain folks)
and red (VIPs). This is the
entrance for blue ticket holders.
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Security Checkpoint from the Inside
2002/07/04 The checkpoint was the standard, metal
detector, empty your bag experience familiar to anyone
who has flown. State Dept.
Uniformed Security was polite and thorough.
The Fourth Amendment to our Constitution states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but
upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
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Security Checkpoint, 5th St.
2002/07/04 My understanding is that this was
the entrance for red (VIP) ticket holders.
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Philadelphia Police Bagpipers
2002/07/04 Once past security, things felt
relatively normal.
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Seating Area for Blue Ticketholders
2002/07/04 There were a substantial number
of empty seats in this area. More people
could have been accomodated.
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Do Not Cross this Line!
2002/07/04 When I walked up this path, I
was intercepted by a park ranger
who firmly, but politely told me
I had to leave. There were no
signs or other indications that
this area was off limits. The invisible
off limits boundary
appeared to be where these
cables (under rubber shield) ran.
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Michael Smerconish Enjoys A Quiet Moment before Going on the Air
2002/07/04 Mr. Smerconish, an outspoken conservative,
has a daily radio show (Monday-Friday, WPHT-1210/AM, 3-6pm).
In addition to his radio career, Mr. Smerconish
maintains a practice as a trial lawyer.
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A Park Ranger Watches the Philadelphia Boys Choir
2002/07/04
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Pageant of Flags
2002/07/04
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A Very Important Person
2002/07/04 In addition to red and blue ticket holders
some people displayed these
fancy VIP tags.
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A Red Ticketholder
2002/07/04 Red and blue ribbon rosettes directed
attendees to their proper seat: in front
for red ticket holders, in back for blue.
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Mayor John F. Street Addresses the Crowd
2002/07/04 The Mayor appeared to enjoy himself
thoroughly at today's ceremony.
A devout Seventh Day Adventist, he began his address by publicly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, stressing
the words "one Nation UNDER GOD." Later he
urged
all the dignitaries to remove their suit jackets which they happily did given the heat.
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Non Ticket Holders
2002/07/04 If you didn't have a ticket, this was
one of the few places you could watch
the proceedings. Sixth (and possibly) Fifth Streets
were closed to the public.
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Public Toilets
2002/07/04 For me a sure sign of a classy event is
the presence of public bathrooms. There were no public
bathrooms at Independence Hall, but
these portable toilets were ready and waiting
at 6th and Walnut (Washington Square).
I'm guessing that the toilets were placed there
by Fairmount Park Commission. Whoever put them there, thank you!
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Jul 24, 2008 2:58 pm
