As politicians, Federal workers, Supremes, and other minor DC glitterati were evacuated from the White House and other Federal buildings today, a certain non-government worker who toils just three blocks away from ground zero --yours truly-- did not find out about today's homeland security scare until she finished slurping down the spaghetti dinner her husband lovlingly prepared.
Now, instead of wasting time figuring out how to make Mexican immigrants = threat to national security in the minds of American consumers voters, can you please come up with an effective way to warn people who live and work in the proximity of large targets of immediate, impending danger?
Funny, low-flying jets don't normally buzz my window. One of the happy fallouts from 9/11: The DC Metro area is sheltered under a "no fly zone." I went back to work.
Suddenly everyone's phone seemed to be ringing. Jane's mother called from North Carolina; my wife called from home. "Did you hear? The Whitehouse and Capitol have been evacuated. What's going on down there?"
The buzz associated with Washington's security angst crescendoed. The office was split between those who'd been informed and those who were blissfully unaware. We cognoscenti went to work.
Was my security stash still fresh? The Skippy's Peanut Butter and saltine crackers I had hidden in my desk drawer after September 11th were still good --would always be edible. Did I remember my family's evacuation plans?
Maria paid no mind. "If it happens we'll all be dead," she replied when I informed her.
"The real problem is when it isn't black and white," I replied. "A dirty bomb goes off at the Whitehouse. You're still alive. What do you do? Who do you listen to? Do you believe the authorities when they say 'Stay put' or do you get out as fast as you can?"
Who's in charge and who do you trust? That's the real security issue.
Posted by: Jeff | 12 May 2005 at 10:20
Very good points indeed. My wife is a Federal employee who works in close proximity to the affected area -- but I had to alert her from Ashburn as to what was going on. I'm not quite sure how a dirty bomb would affect the White House and/or the Capitol but none of the museums on or close by the National Mall.
I guess they're assuming the terrorists have been able to upgrade their technology to wreak havoc with pinpointed accuracy...
-- S
Posted by: Shiny | 12 May 2005 at 10:45
I guess you didn't catch Tom Ridge handing out rolls of duct tape on the WH lawn...
Just a thought: it seems to me that in this day and age, email would be one of the most effective ways to communicate warnings. I wonder whether there will ever be an email/cell phone equivalent to TV's emergency broadcast alerts.
Posted by: Matt | 12 May 2005 at 11:03
I'd like to start by putting the entire nation on prozac. A model airplane flies above DC airspace and people are running out of buildings like the creatures from Atari's Space Invaders have landed. Londoners survived the blitz for years and we're terrified of a Tonka Truck.
Posted by: Der Kommissar | 12 May 2005 at 11:33
I'd like to start by putting the entire nation on prozac. A model airplane flies above DC airspace and people are running out of buildings like the creatures from Atari's Space Invaders have landed. Londoners survived the blitz for years and we're terrified of a Tonka Truck.
Posted by: Der Kommissar | 12 May 2005 at 11:35
Actually, I'm wondering if Alert DC, a text-based alert subscription system which works via SMS or email, went into effect here. Does anyone subscribe?
Posted by: Shiny | 12 May 2005 at 11:55