I had the pleasure of taking a White House tour today. The event was great and many thanks to those that invited me. The White House looked nice all dressed up for Christmas. I’m not much of a reviewer but I found the gold leaves everywhere a bit garish however everything else was as one would expect. I’ve previously toured the mansions in Newport RI so the White House isn’t particularly stunning in terms of scope but it is nifty to be in the seat of power. Of the 5 rooms on the tour, I recall several momentous things happening in them so the sense of history is pretty strong too.
However, what struck me most are the changes that have occured in the proximity of the White House and Congress. It’s been awhile since I visited that part of the City but the number of roads that are closed (permanently or temporarily) and pedestrian walkways that are barricaded off is amazing. There are also dozens of obviously armed folks (and probably twice that number who were not so obvious) littered about the area. Now I’m not going to run around, flap my arms and declare that the terrorists have already won but the notion of a random individual crashing a car bomb into a building near the White House is clearly one that the government takes seriously. Many times the changes are simply clumsy – a 4′ wrought iron fence strung accross a 20′ sidewalk that clearly doesn’t belong. The security screening for the White House (very efficient, btw) is conducted in what could fairly be described as a trailer. However, some of the other changes – especially those used to close roads have evolved over time and now seem appropriate.
I’m just trying to convey my sense of the place – it’s a fortress. A fortress that allows some limited access (by previous appointment) but a fortress nevertheless. Contrast this with my experience in Richmond where I could walk up to the doors of the State House and knock on them without so much as a “by your leave” or an armed guard in evidence. I don’t know that I’m trying to draw any conclusions here but it is interesting.
December 9, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Remember walking into the House Office Building in the late 1970s
to meet with Congressman Herb Harris and never being stopped
or having my briefcase checked. Did get checked on trips to
the Government Printing Office — on the way out — they wanted to
may sure folks didn’t steal anything.
December 9, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Dog,
I remember walking into Sen. Robb’s office in the late ’90s without being stopped. What a change.
December 10, 2007 at 11:37 am
Andy,
I had the pleasure of doing the WhiteHouse Christmas tour a couple of years ago. I also get into the District frequently on business. Yes, security measures are visible. and intended to serve as a visual deterrent. Not being a professional security consultant, but having many years experience as a Marine, I would surmise that the real security measures are the ones you don’t see, like intrusion detection, explosives detection, infrared imaging, and magnetic and electric field detection. The government does appear to be reasonably well protected.
If I were in a position to ask tough questions, I would ask what measures are in place to protect the average Joe on the street. Street crime is at an all time high in the city, with robberies actually occurring on Capital Hill property. With all of the additional surveillance and heightened security, one would think this would have at least a minor impact on street crime and murder. It has not. So what does this say about the efficacy of said security measures?
One thing I would like to call to the attention of local City officials is the role that Manassas plays, when/if a major event were to happen in DC. If you accept that FEMA plans to evacuate the District in the case of a major man-made or natural disaster, then one must ask to where these people would be evacuated to. A cursory look at the map along major evactuation routes, where large numbers of people could be accomodated, and yet some sort of order imposed, and two locations in the area jump out: Bull Run Park and and PWC Fairgrounds. PWC Fairgrounds is especially attractive to FEMA, as it is colocated with a National Guard Armory. It’s no accident that I-66 WESTBOUND is being widened both inside and outside the beltway, and Arlington County couldn’t stop the inside portion, as it’s a matter of “National Security”. I wouldn’t be surprised is FEMA didn’t ask the question, “where would you rather these people be housed? Arlington or further west?”
You only have to look at the FEMA reaction to Katrina, and it’s on-going impacts to figure out where I am headed with this. I’d be happy to discuss this with any City Council member. Just for the record, I didn’t pull this stuff off of some chat-room for the paranoid. I know someone who is a FEMA employee. When I asked him about this, he didn’t confirm it, nor did he deny it. He just said, “makes perfect sense”. Enough for me.
Ronald Reagan said it best: “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
December 22, 2007 at 9:14 am
To Steve:
I don’t think it’s any secret (or any big deal, actually) that a city the size of Washington DC would have an evacuation plan, and that plan calls for sending citizens “out” away from the city. That Manassas (or Arlington) happens to be in the logical path of evacuation (especially considering the prevailing winds in our region) shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. One doesn’t need to know a FEMA employee to take a look at a map and apply logic.
Plus, check out Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments web site.
Andy, I’m sure Chief Skinner et al could brief you on the MWCOG regional disaster plan (and it’s implications to Manassas) any time you were interested. You were at the WebEOC exercises so you’ve had a taste of this.
March 12, 2008 at 3:00 am
I find it interesting that people are coming to accept such stringent controls.