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WASHINGTON – It’s like stepping into the past though
it’s hard to say which one. Y2K? The Cuban missile crisis? World
War II? In any case, it’s not an atmosphere likely to cheer up the
local tourism board.
The odd twist is that I had originally planned to be
here last October, a time when Washington was being terrorized by
the random sniper attacks that cancelled public events and had
pedestrians brave enough to go outdoors walking in zigzag patterns,
as if on a month-long bender. I felt no small relief when the trip
fell through; now I’m not sure it was a good trade.
Then, at least, people knew what the danger was. “Code
Orange” Washington lacks that certainty. From the news you’d think
the city was facing imminent siege, or at least a hurricane: crowds
gutting canned food shelves, people carting off bottled water by the
case, presumably sane citizens tussling over duct tape and plastic
sheeting for do-it-yourself “safe rooms.”
Having a little grub and water on hand makes sense, I
guess, but if a radiation attack can be thwarted by Saran Wrap I’m
not sure what the fuss is. I have a sneaking suspicion the main
point of the clean room drill is to make people feel like they’re
doing something.
Or maybe endless repetition of the warning is good for
ratings. A couple of months ago, the Radio Television News
Directors Association issued guidelines for reporting terrorism and
the potential for attacks, asking its members to “present the facts
as clearly, objectively and dispassionately as possible.” That
would be great advice if anyone followed it, but judging by what
Code Orange coverage has done for the duct tape industry, al-Qaida
has certainly figured out they’ll get the most bang for the buck by
striking during a ratings sweeps month.
Washington on foot seems normal enough, if you look past
the mobile missile launchers. President’s Day sales are in fuller
bloom than the cherry trees, restaurants are packed, and street
traffic is the usual death-defying crunch. One evening when my
feeble sense of direction failed me completely, I found myself
wandering past foreign embassies that, to outward appearances,
looked less secure than the average public library. I gave passing
thought to defecting to Uzbekistan to get out of the chill, which
should have been easy enough considering the lack of guards. Maybe
terrorists are as easily discouraged by snow as they are by plastic
dropcloths.
The Lincoln Memorial, a stop I rarely miss, was open
earlier in the week, as were the city’s other monuments and museums
until closed by the worst snowstorm in decades. Security at high
profile landmarks is said to have increased, though I spotted only
one park ranger under Lincoln’s gaze. He seemed too engrossed in a
book to do much thwarting of evildoers.
While folks are apprehensive, the only panic I’ve seen
is on the tube. No one here can be faulted a little skittishness
given the hit the Pentagon took during the September 11 attacks, but
it’s as if there are two realities: the one on TV and the one in
which people work and live.
Federal authorities place Washington at the top of
Osama’s wish list and few doubt it’s true. It’s also nothing new;
this city has been on the bull’s-eye since the British burned it in
the War of 1812. The Confederate army got within canon range during
the Civil War, and the capitol has faced one threat or another
pretty much ever since.
As has the nation. As long as no one takes the
television at face value, I suspect we’ll survive this one too.
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