DISCUSSION: If the Statue of Liberty were blown up tomorrow, what would you build?

[Magus]

The Statue of Liberty represents for our nation a symbol of freedom and loving brotherhood. It is representative of an undying virtue we are to uphold in our government and our nation. If it were attacked by terrorists attempting to destroy this beloved symbol, and destroyed, what would you build in its place?

I've already mentioned in another thread, but basically I would build a badass Crusader knight in white armor, holding up a flaming sword. I think this represents our current national outlook the best.

His foot would be crushing the head of some third-world type (maybe an actual 11th century Ottoman?)

Around the base would be a poem which, unlike the Emma Lazarus poem, tells foreigners to stay the fuck out, OR maybe just some Blind Guardian lyrics (this is debatable).

So, if the Statue of Liberty were blown up tomorrow, what would you build? What everlasting symbol do you think best represents the American dream, whether real or imagined? Can you one-up the French in their symbolism? What could possibly be superior to a badass flaming-sword wielding knight?

Well?

[Kim]

Can we just steal Japan's life-size Gundam?

[Magus]

If we were to go that route I believe it would make more sense to build a bigger life-sized Gundam, possibly Death Scythe because that is the most badass one I can think of.

[Premmy]

A giant fucking fire, just an ass-load of fire, forever burning, with a lightning rod in the center.

[Krylo]

Nothing.

It would represent our nihilistic approach to rampant consumerism and world politics.

[Premmy]

Once a year we would explode the fire.

[Kim]

We'd build an oil rig where the Statue of Liberty once stood.

[Magus]

Nothing.

It would represent our nihilistic approach to rampant consumerism and world politics.

Would constructing a life-size Kefka's Tower be conducive to this symbolism, or would it simply be missing the point?

I'm not sure about exploding the fire, Premmy, can you give any details? Would it involve fireworks, for instance? This could be brought into line with current 4th of July celebrations.

[Flarecobra]

A conglomeration of various corperate symbols.

[Magus]

There's a pretty good amalgamated media symbol (it combines all the major news stations into one symbol to represent the fact that all media is owned by six major companies) in the film The American Ruling Class but I can't find it on the internets, any help people?

[Premmy]

I'm not sure about exploding the fire, Premmy, can you give any details? Would it involve fireworks, for instance? This could be brought into line with current 4th of July celebrations.
Tactical Nuclear Strike, then we set the fallout on fire with lava from the volcano, which is triggered to erupt when the lightning rod is struck.

[Thadius]

I'm torn. On the one hand, I want to build a giant edifice to madness and insanity. Ia Ia and all that. Being sane is overrated!

On the other hand, I want to build some sort of monument to tolerance and coexistance because let's face it, if we could work out all the shit keeping us as a species from uniting and solving our various ecological issues, then I would be surprised and very scared. The future actually would be a bright new world. But it wouldn't do to just build a monument and not have it do anything. So I'd have to install huge banks and banks for storing data, and use them. Use them to show repeatedly how our differences are not as big as we think. I mean, gods damn. If you cut yourself, do you not bleed? If you are tickled, do you not laugh? Are you not as human as the next man? Humanity could do amazing things if it could work out its own differences.

But apparently I have three hands, because on another one, I would want to build a tower and install on top a laser of such horrifying magnitude none could challenge me.

[Premmy]

also, the fire would shoot swords every monday

[Marc v4.0]

We will spend years holding bs contests and pissing away tons of money and the site will remain as it is and no one will be happy

[Magus]

Stationary death rays are kind of overrated, though, aren't they? I mean, for one thing, one mounted on a satellite or even the moon would be far superior. There is something to say for having a death ray on our borders, though, maybe we could put one on Alcatraz island to cover the Western seaboard for example.

Well, in my haste, I kind of forgot to think about this like an Objectivist, so what I should do is carve, by hand, a statue of a perfect man and a perfect woman, and then carve the words "LIFE" into the base of it and the sheer beauty of the sheerly beautiful statue would cause people to weep at its sheer beauty.

This idea brought to you by Terry Goodkind.

EDIT:

We will spend years holding bs contests and pissing away tons of money and the site will remain as it is and no one will be happy

So what you are saying is that secret and insidious and hidden Muslim symbology should be secretly-insidiously-hiddenly put into the monument?

[Premmy]

Every Year before the fire-exploding ceremony, a youth of tremendous resolve will step up, having trained his or her entire life to sing the most moving song they know whilst engulfed in flames. They will step into the fire, just before the 5:am sword firing ceremony if the Fourth of July falls on a monday, and sing until they are no more. Then we blow shit up.

[Magus]

How do you train youths to sing the most moving song while engulfed in flames, though? Would they practice next to a really hot furnace, or something?

[POS Industries]

Can we just steal Japan's life-size Gundam?
The Statue of Liberty cannon from G Gundam would be the most appropriate thing.

[Premmy]

Every october, one couple would offer themselves up to conceive the Genetically engineered pheonix/dragon babies that would feel no pain from flames(though immolation is key here, so their training will be mostly singing and focus training.). On the Fourth of July Ceremony, they'd birth the child for the following year in the fire.

[Marc v4.0]

So what you are saying is that secret and insidious and hidden Muslim symbology should be secretly-insidiously-hiddenly put into the monument?

In the most Socia-communist way possible

[PyrosNine]

Re-Envision the Statue of Liberty as a femme Gundam with a flaming torch/sickle weapon, and a book/energy shield.

Also must be piloted by a Lady Liberty android wearing glasses, who ends every sentence with a -jiyuu.

[Wigmund]

Big-ass statue of a heavily-armed man holding a globe which he is looking at thoughtfully.

We'll tell others that he is thinking about the stability our great nation has brought to the world through our power and majesty.
We'll let others think that he is contemplating who we should invade next.
We won't let others know that he is really try to find Iraq on the globe and is currently looking at South America.

[Premmy]

Dragon-Pheonix babies who don't get to sing must fight crime in Fire and Musically themed costumes until they do.

[Fifthfiend]

A giant-ass dollar sign.

CREAM GET THE MONEY, DOLLA DOLLA BILL YA'LL

[Shin Amakiir]

Either

Can we just steal Japan's life-size Gundam?

or a giant dildo. For when it turns out planets are sentient, and Earth is a lesbian, and so is Mars.

[Amake]

Ah, the American dream. Funny that you should want a statue to symbolize that rather than the actual country. I'm reminded of Mr. Wednesday in American Gods: "America is the only country that worries about what it is."

I'd put a McDonald's there.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Should go with one of these;

http://www.lanceradvanced.com/Models/Images/Titan.jpg

Far more impressive and intimidating.

[Melfice]

The Statue of Liberty represents for our nation a symbol of freedom and loving brotherhood. It is representative of an undying virtue we are to uphold in our government and our nation. If it were attacked by terrorists attempting to destroy this beloved symbol, and destroyed, what would you build in its place?

I'd be too busy laughing my ass off to build ANYTHING, after hearing this.

I mean, yeah. It may have stood for that in the past, but can you honestly stand there and say that stuff with a straight face in this day and age?

[Premmy]

Don't Start no Shit won't be no shit, Deutschbag.

[Melfice]

Don't Start no Shit won't be no shit, Deutschbag.

I always felt there was a certain attraction between us... but I never knew you loved me that much.

[Premmy]

Hey man, I'm down with cows. I got's no beef with cows, just heed the words of Lil' Jon, izzall I'm sayin'

[Toast]

I'd have the Statue of Liberty rebuilt. Then, build a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast to compliment it. One without the other devolves into mere arbitrariness, as we're all well aware.

[Amake]

Great idea! I just did a little speech on responsibility in the news forum so I guess our minds crossed wires.

Is there a god of responsibility? No matter, we'll build one out of iron and chrome.

[BigGator5]

So, if the Statue of Liberty were blown up tomorrow, what would you build? What everlasting symbol do you think best represents the American dream, whether real or imagined? Can you one-up the French in their symbolism? What could possibly be superior to a badass flaming-sword wielding knight?

Well?
I'd build a statue to the God Emperor Of Mankind (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CoN-0dL6_hY/SQ-MX5oHDhI/AAAAAAAALAA/WURta6KsJ5g/s400/GodEmperorOfMankind.jpg). Only He is worthy.

[Hanuman]

A giant hologram platform.

[Tev]

I mean, yeah. It may have stood for that in the past, but can you honestly stand there and say that stuff with a straight face in this day and age?I would yes. The Statue of Liberty has been the most easily recognizable symbol of the American identity for the last hundred and twenty-ish years. It was the thing that welcomed millions of immigrants fleeing oppression as they stared off their boats to American shores. America wasn't really much better back then as it is now, but it was better and freer than the hell-holes they came from. My family on my father's side passed by the Statue of Liberty to get here and before my grandparents died they were still telling stories about how much joy and hope it gave their parents and grandparents to see it.

The Statue of Liberty is a timeless symbol of American freedom and acceptance. It's not the statue's fault if we don't live up to that ideal.

If it went down, I'd just have it rebuilt. And if it went down again, I'd have it rebuilt again; to show the world that I stand behind what it means and no matter who tries to take it away, it will stand as a reminder of who we should be, if not who we are.

Plus Lady Liberty totally rocked in the Ghostbuster's second movie. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQj3LIH-DqM)

[Professor Smarmiarty]

it will stand as a reminder of who we should be


French toadies?

[Tev]

French toadies?People who can enjoy a nice French statue gift every now and again. Though, in all honesty with all the help France gave us during the Revolutionary War you'd think we'd be a bit nicer over all to them. I really don't think we really repaid their help fully enough with pushing out the Germans in WWII.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Well you did show up a good year and a half after they'd been under brutal German occupation and left all the fighting to the Russians so I don't think it really counts at all. You kind of just cruised along to pick the spoils.

[Toast]

Great idea! I just did a little speech on responsibility in the news forum so I guess our minds crossed wires.

Is there a god of responsibility? No matter, we'll build one out of iron and chrome.

I got the idea from Viktor Frankl.

[BigGator5]

Though, in all honesty with all the help France gave us during the Revolutionary War you'd think we'd be a bit nicer over all to them.
I have a few things I'd like to say about the French, but I've been warn not to insult an entire country (http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?p=1089830#post1089830).

However I have nothing against the French Canadians. In fact, I support the Parti and Bloc Québécois' platform of Quebec's secession from Canada. If for no other reason than I support chaos.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

That's not a particularly viable long-term goal.

[BigGator5]

That's not a particularly viable long-term goal.
Chaos is always a viable long-term goal.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

That doesn't even make sense.

[batgirl]

I'd build another statue of Liberty...that would be able to crack in half to reveal the launching site of the Death Star.

[Premmy]

I've been warn not to insalt an entire country
Well, yah dude, that'd ruin the soil, kill the crops, destroy their economy, and starve their children, that's just not cool...

[Kim]

The Statue of Liberty would actually be Arsenal Gear.

[Tev]

Well, yah dude, that'd ruin the soil, kill the crops, destroy their economy, and starve their children, that's just not cool...I too was going to make a Carthage crack but you beat me to it.

[Magus]

Did the Death Star really have a launching pad, though? It really seemed like something constructed entirely in outer space, and quite incapable of surviving within a planet's atmosphere. Thus making Liberty Island the Death Star launching pad really wouldn't work.

Now, we could make it a launching pad for a Star Destroyer-esque battle space ship in the future. That would be pretty cool.

OR we could do like Fringe's alternate parallel universe did and make it ground zero for the Department of Defense to conduct all kinds of freaky experiments. I think that has potential.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Who the hell constructs 1 and a half kilometre sized starships in atmo??!! STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY! Even the Enterprise (all of them) were built in space and they're only a few hundred metres long./Nerd moment.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Ahem
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa374/jmock2323/a-1.jpg

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Oh you mean that film that contradicts all the previously established canon? Yeah, go watch any other episode of the series, pretty much all of those ships were built in space.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

You specified all of the enterprises will built in space. All of them! Including parallel universe ones!
Also I watched Star Trek once, there was like some aliens and like Captain Bald was "I am the Federation bitches. Give me some spice" and the aliens were like "Scheme, scheme, scheme- you can have your spice Captain...in hell!" and then they were like "Pew pew pew pew" and the enterprise was about to blow up but then it didn't and then baldy was like "There is no diplomatic immunity now, Ambassador Kovac" and was like "Torpedoes away! Dive dive dive!" and then the aliens exploded.
I didn't watch anymore.

[Hanuman]

Which captain bald?