D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is one of many locals who hope the unsightly fencing is only a temporary measure. She told The Washington Times that she wants “to keep the People’s House open to the people.” “Permanent fencing would send an un-American message to the nation and the world, by transforming our democracy from one that is accessible and of the people to one that is exclusive and fearful of its own citizens,” she told fellow members of Congress on Feb. 11, when she introduced the United States Capitol Complex Act to block permanent fencing. “It would tell the world that the most powerful nation must rely on crude barriers for safety instead of state-of-the-art intelligence and security protocols,” said Mrs. Norton, the District of Columbia’s nonvoting congressional representative.