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Living in the threat zone

by YankeeJim | September 11, 2011 at 03:23 am

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Take a walk and relax

Shortly after 9/11, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had us scrambling like lemmings to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting. It was a “duck-and-cover” drill. I was traveling to work at various defense organizations, using the metro. On the way to the Pentagon Metro one morning, I noticed that a passenger had left a large bag with a box inside under a seat.

I walked to the back of the train car and used the communications box to notify the conductor about the abandoned bag and box. At the next stop a security guard jumped in while the doors remained opened. He examined the bag, “Nice pair of new boots. Somebody is going to miss those.”

Then, we experienced a period of constant anxiety while the Washington snipers terrorized the Maryland and DC area. I believe we actually saw them eye ball to eye ball once, though authorities had us watching for a white van when the shooters were driving a an old blue GM gangbanger.

What had we learned?

1) Be alert

2) Be sensible

3) Don’t overreact

When criminals want to carry out a crime, there isn’t much you can do to interdict it. In the case of terrorists, however, they have become a special subset that has brought far more attention than the common lot of evil doers. In the end, they are all just criminals.

“Because anything in the current climate could be significant or nothing, the Prince George’s County Police Department notified federal agencies and neighboring jurisdictions about two U-Haul vans that were stolen in the county Friday night.

“We are not viewing this as being terror-related — we are viewing this as two stolen vans — but in the current 9/11 climate, we are taking extra precautions,” said Evan Baxter, a spokesman for the department.

Later Saturday, Prince George’s police said that one of the vans was found empty in the 900 block of Marcy Avenue in the Glassmanor area. They were searching for the driver.

Still, the reports of a possible terrorist threat didn’t seem to jangle the nerves of people in the area.

With sun shining and a slight breeze Saturday afternoon, people wandered the Capitol grounds and snapped pictures as a helicopter flew overhead.

“I don’t feel nervous,” said Keith Dykstra, as he headed to a grassy area near the Capitol to read a book on India. “I don’t want to live my life in fear.””

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Uwe Paschen

at 04:00 on September 11th, 2011

While I personally oppose terrorism or any act of violence towards another human, we just have to look at history it self to see that terrorism is not just another criminal activity. The US them self where funded on terrorism, at least that would be what it would still be called had the British captured G. Washington. Washington in the eyes of the British King George the third was no better than Osama Bin Landen was in the eyes of President George Bush. Many terrorist through out our history are today celebrated as national heroes. The same goes for many stories we made popular through Disney such as Robin Hood. The name meaning robing in the woods. When ever the so called terrorist rise to power they become heroes and the defeated leaders become tyrants. In some cases where things went back and forth for a time one or the other became a martyr, a despot or again a heros. It all depends on once perspectives and the way we write the history books, which does change after every war or conflict. The ruling regime always portraits it self as the guardian angel and the outsider or enemy as the divil him self. It is some what simplistic and lacks objectivity, realism and truth as well as balance.

YankeeJim

at 04:14 on September 11th, 2011

Uwe, that is correct -- resistance and revolt are an ongoing part of the political process. We are much closer to revolt in the USA today than in a long time. Can it erupt into violent protests? The possibility is ever present.

However, as society progresses, so have the weapons available to people. Improvised explosive devices for instance are something that even the crudest individuals in the remotest of places can access and assemble. The consequences of people armed with such high power weaponry makes the probability of living under those circumstances quite short.

The cost of change and improvement is exceedingly high, and the price may extinguish any hope at all.