Sonics of the Marble: NPS Launches 'Acoustic Citizenship Program' That Fines Visitors for Speaking in Frequencies That 'Remind Monument of Better Days'
WASHINGTON — It started with a whisper that hung in the air for three seconds before the National Park Service security guards rushed to intervene. Then came the cough, followed by a child’s giggle, and before the week was out, federal agents were raiding the observation deck for “Acoustic Disloyalty.”
The Washington Monument, which has stood as a 555-foot shaft of granite and marble since the 1880s, is reportedly experiencing an existential crisis that can only be solved by redefining what sounds like patriotic devotion.