IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
The Fourth of July in Washington DC and what do we have? The natives are running like bandits to get out of town and aircraft are coming and going at an amazing pace up and down the Potomac River air corridor.
Most of Congress has, or is leaving town, for one flag waving, sound bite, and speaking or campaign venue. Those who are staying are locked in deadly pursuit of the agenda after the recess.
Tourists are milling about like ants devouring the streets and restaurants.
But there is another aspect to all the celebration preparation, and it is not pleasing. Events in London and Glasgow Scotland have placed the area on post 9/11 levels of security presence and precaution. There is police and military presence everywhere, and that is the visible presence, the invisible presence we can only imagine.
Coast Guard boats are patrolling the Potomac and there are an unusually high number of helicopters filling the skies. The TV station newscasts are filled with police and security personnel issuing instructions and assurances.
And like any other community there are the stories about the arrest of illegal fireworks vendors. Why not; illegal is a favorite word in this town. We have illegal aliens and a chronic nonproductive hot air debate concerning them. We have an illegal President who commits illegal acts on a daily basis and a congress that doesn’t know how to do anything about anything illegal. Isn’t that illegal?
I guess not because if you do something illegal here in Washington and you’re one of the players, illegal is Ok and you’ll get a commutation or pardon eventually reinvent yourself, find religion, write a book, go on the talk shows and college speaking circuit, get rich and respectable again, and you might even get re circulated in the system. If not you’ll end up in some innocuous sounding organization as a consultant at six figures a year planning, like Pinky and the Brain, how to take over the world tomorrow.
The locals are enraged over the Libby commutation and they are not being quiet about it on the streets. If you are a tourist all this is curious and about all you care about is getting good directions to move about, without getting lost, in the public transit system.
If, however, you are a local; you know things are tense. Things are not well. It is just the beginning of a long hot summer in Washington, one that promises conflict and strife, the level as yet uncertain.
On the terrorist side of the coin; the concern is always there, because folks know this city is always the primary potential target and the underground Metro system, despite all efforts and planning remains the vulnerable of our assets.
A city more torn politically than most because the issues are magnified here; it is what we do here, and presently we are serving up a most volatile disagreeable concoction.
One can only hope the only fireworks will be those framing the Washington Monument against the night skyline tomorrow night and the only thunder of explosion will be that of the cannons accompanying the 1812 Overture.
At this point an older famous exit is in order: “Good Night and Good Luck”.
Most of Congress has, or is leaving town, for one flag waving, sound bite, and speaking or campaign venue. Those who are staying are locked in deadly pursuit of the agenda after the recess.
Tourists are milling about like ants devouring the streets and restaurants.
But there is another aspect to all the celebration preparation, and it is not pleasing. Events in London and Glasgow Scotland have placed the area on post 9/11 levels of security presence and precaution. There is police and military presence everywhere, and that is the visible presence, the invisible presence we can only imagine.
Coast Guard boats are patrolling the Potomac and there are an unusually high number of helicopters filling the skies. The TV station newscasts are filled with police and security personnel issuing instructions and assurances.
And like any other community there are the stories about the arrest of illegal fireworks vendors. Why not; illegal is a favorite word in this town. We have illegal aliens and a chronic nonproductive hot air debate concerning them. We have an illegal President who commits illegal acts on a daily basis and a congress that doesn’t know how to do anything about anything illegal. Isn’t that illegal?
I guess not because if you do something illegal here in Washington and you’re one of the players, illegal is Ok and you’ll get a commutation or pardon eventually reinvent yourself, find religion, write a book, go on the talk shows and college speaking circuit, get rich and respectable again, and you might even get re circulated in the system. If not you’ll end up in some innocuous sounding organization as a consultant at six figures a year planning, like Pinky and the Brain, how to take over the world tomorrow.
The locals are enraged over the Libby commutation and they are not being quiet about it on the streets. If you are a tourist all this is curious and about all you care about is getting good directions to move about, without getting lost, in the public transit system.
If, however, you are a local; you know things are tense. Things are not well. It is just the beginning of a long hot summer in Washington, one that promises conflict and strife, the level as yet uncertain.
On the terrorist side of the coin; the concern is always there, because folks know this city is always the primary potential target and the underground Metro system, despite all efforts and planning remains the vulnerable of our assets.
A city more torn politically than most because the issues are magnified here; it is what we do here, and presently we are serving up a most volatile disagreeable concoction.
One can only hope the only fireworks will be those framing the Washington Monument against the night skyline tomorrow night and the only thunder of explosion will be that of the cannons accompanying the 1812 Overture.
At this point an older famous exit is in order: “Good Night and Good Luck”.
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