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The first thing that came to my mind was an old Gary
Larson “Far Side” comic. In the one-panel drawing, two deer stand
upright in a forest, one with a very visible target on its chest.
In the caption, the second deer sympathizes: “Bummer of a
birthmark, Hal.”
I would ordinarily be delighted at the prospect of the
Washington D.C. business trip that came up just as the sniper story
was breaking, but couldn’t whip up much enthusiasm for becoming a
human version of Larson’s deer. I ordinarily squeeze in all the
sightseeing I can while in the capital; on my first visit years ago
I spent five eight-hour days in the Smithsonian Institution alone.
I have toured just about every major historical site and monument in
the city and more than a few in the surrounding areas.
A business trip with side visits to tourist spots would
have been a bummer of a birthmark this time, with stops at gas
stations, restaurants, public transportation, and other favorite
sniper venues. I didn’t exactly stall, but I did manage to find
other things to do until the arrest of the suspects now in custody.
The odds of being a target were pretty slim considering
the population of the area, less than those of winning the lottery
according to some observers. As often as you hear that phrase you
begin to wonder why you haven’t actually won the lottery, but while
the shootings have not been linked to organized terror, they do
illustrate how it works.
The normal routine in the Washington area pretty much
shut down. Restaurants, gas stations, and tourist attractions
reported dramatic declines in business. Athletic events were
cancelled and school children were kept indoors. Tours by middle
and high school classes from around the country, long a Washington
staple, fell to near zero.
The cost of the sniper investigation is said to be in
the millions; the cost to the local Washington economy is probably
many times that. Along with the loss of life and peace of mind, the
attacks show what havoc two indigent, not particularly well-trained
individuals can wreak with one conventional weapon. Heaven help us
against people who know what they’re doing and have a few bucks
behind them.
Perhaps heaven has, given the lack of terror attacks on
U.S. soil since September 11, 2001 and the apparent ease of doing
so. But if the Washington shootings demonstrate how terrorism
works, the response of the legal system might also reveal how, or
how not, to deal with enemy terrorists.
As the shootings have been deemed crimes rather than
acts of war, the trials will be in civilian courts. The usual
assortment of publicity crazed legal weasels will claw each other
blind for the right to defend the suspects. We will be pummeled
with weeks of hand-wringing testimony about deprived childhoods,
suffering at the hands of a racist society, Gulf War syndrome, and
anything else that might scrape up a little sympathy.
The older suspect will likely never be released but I
wouldn’t be surprised to see the 17-year-old out in time to collect
social security. I predict the death penalty will never be carried
out for either suspect. Over the years we will be treated to prison
interviews, feature stories by television news magazines, and
reports of marriages to jailhouse groupies who are no doubt trying
even now to become pen pals.
In short, the threat is over but the circus is coming to
town. It is one thing to allow this for criminal cases, but our
justice system will become another tool for amplifying the damage of
terrorism if the upcoming trials become the model for handling
organized terror.
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