D.C. is going to be locked down tight for the Inauguration with very few escape routes or ways in. But, for someone who wants to frustrate, it’s perfect.
This morning starting around 3 am many streets began to shut down. Traffic in the District is notoriously bad – and this week it’s been worse. But this entire week has been a bit of a mess. It’s also entirely dependent on the Capitol Hill police; obviously, as well as every other major policing agency. It’s a joint effort to ensure they can keep a lid on the chaos of Inauguration day.
There will be so many balls it’s probably possible to just walk around the Hill and stumble into more than a few. I’ve caught myself doing something I suspect everyone does; assuming that these folks are squared away. But, having spent some time around the Hill and having a friend in the force, I know they’re under-trained. This is a target-rich environment, D.C. Its police force found themselves in trouble in a probe that proved they left their weapons in bathrooms.
It does seem inevitable that there would be an attack in D.C. but, today wouldn’t be the day to do it. There would be a total social bias to find those behind it. There would be no spin, no distraction in the American public view. It would be as clear as the first reaction to 9/11. To go after them and get it done. If a lone wolf attempted a large attack – it would likely be foiled, today. But if a larger organization tried to spur trouble – there would be no return on their investment and would spell the eventual end of their organization.
However, what is probably happening is an underlying disruption. If folks were buying crappy cars, driving on crowded streets, nearly all of them, and then just leaving the car. That act alone would hold up traffic and infuriate and scare people. Seemingly passive disruptions to create a subverted sense of calm or control would be the name of the game. It’s relatively harmless – but more nefarious if we knew who funded or helped organize an effort to do so. We won’t hear the stories, if at all, of disruptors during the Inauguration until afterward. But subtle disruptions seem the most likely scenario of the terrorism forecast.
Featured image courtesy of The Denver Post.
D.C. is going to be locked down tight for the Inauguration with very few escape routes or ways in. But, for someone who wants to frustrate, it’s perfect.
This morning starting around 3 am many streets began to shut down. Traffic in the District is notoriously bad – and this week it’s been worse. But this entire week has been a bit of a mess. It’s also entirely dependent on the Capitol Hill police; obviously, as well as every other major policing agency. It’s a joint effort to ensure they can keep a lid on the chaos of Inauguration day.
There will be so many balls it’s probably possible to just walk around the Hill and stumble into more than a few. I’ve caught myself doing something I suspect everyone does; assuming that these folks are squared away. But, having spent some time around the Hill and having a friend in the force, I know they’re under-trained. This is a target-rich environment, D.C. Its police force found themselves in trouble in a probe that proved they left their weapons in bathrooms.
It does seem inevitable that there would be an attack in D.C. but, today wouldn’t be the day to do it. There would be a total social bias to find those behind it. There would be no spin, no distraction in the American public view. It would be as clear as the first reaction to 9/11. To go after them and get it done. If a lone wolf attempted a large attack – it would likely be foiled, today. But if a larger organization tried to spur trouble – there would be no return on their investment and would spell the eventual end of their organization.
However, what is probably happening is an underlying disruption. If folks were buying crappy cars, driving on crowded streets, nearly all of them, and then just leaving the car. That act alone would hold up traffic and infuriate and scare people. Seemingly passive disruptions to create a subverted sense of calm or control would be the name of the game. It’s relatively harmless – but more nefarious if we knew who funded or helped organize an effort to do so. We won’t hear the stories, if at all, of disruptors during the Inauguration until afterward. But subtle disruptions seem the most likely scenario of the terrorism forecast.
Featured image courtesy of The Denver Post.
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