My boyfriend, his sister and I are going to Washington, DC for a weekend trip in April. So naturally, I started looking to see if we could get tours of government buildings while visiting the capitol.
Back in 1995, on my first day of immigrating to the U.S., my Dad and I visited the White House. It was a great day. I hadn't even had a chance to eat at McDonald's and yet I was already inside the building where the American president worked and slept.
Fast forward 12 years, things aren't as simple. According to the White House website, tours are only given to groups of 10 or larger. Plus, I have to contact a congressman 2 months prior in order to get a reservation to go in. Not going to happen for us.
I then checked the Pentagon website to see if we could go inside. Its website states you must be in a group of 5 and larger, and with an educational, governmental or military institution. And get this, also church groups? Anyone up for joining the Church of Cecily? I'll be glad to take my parisoners on a tour inside the American military headquarters.
When did government buildings become so inaccessible to the common people? My guess is 9/11. Is it because the government functions more efficiently with less "disruption" from the outside? Sounds awefully untransparent to me. I feel now I have less chance of seeing the American government in action as a U.S. citizen compared to a decade ago when I was just fresh off the plane from China. Weird? Definitely.
No comments:
Post a Comment