“… Here across the pond in the United States on its Independence Day, in a ceremony of great pomp and circumstance, over a year’s worth of renovations to the iconic Statue of Liberty were revealed, renovations fundamentally altering that long-enduring and globally-recognized symbol of hope and freedom.
“The most visible change was the replacement of the flame in Lady Liberty’s torch with a tapered, seventy-five foot tall mirrored structure named ‘The Sword of Truth.’
“The most stunning alteration, however, was the casting of a revised version of ‘The New Colossus’, the famous, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses …’ poem by Emma Lazarus. The new version, displayed prominently above the monument’s lobby entrance lobby, reads as follows:
‘Like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a sword, whose blade
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name:
Warder of Exiles.
‘From her beacon-hand glows world-wide warning;
her fierce eyes command the air-bridged harbor
that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!”
cries she with silent lips.
“Give me your strong, your bright,
Your privileged classes yearning to breathe free.
The disaffected peoples of your shores.
Send your homeless, wretched poor not to me,
I heft my sword astride the golden door!”’
“The revision, dated 2021, is attributed to the Daughters for the American Truth.
“And on the palisade below the statue following the unveiling, the American President signed the revised Sedition Act into law, classifying any criticism of American immigration policy or enforcement actions as an act of sedition.
“The festivities conclude tonight with what is being trumpeted as a record-setting fireworks display in New York Harbor.
“From Liberty Island, New York, this is David Astonbury, BBC News.”
“Thank you, David. I’m sure George 3rd in his royal vault is laughing at the irony of how far the colonies have fallen. It’s a sad state of affairs, indeed. In other news today … .”
