In 1996, Atlanta, Georgia hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Prior to the start of the events, I recall hearing and reading about the strict security precautions that were to be implemented. Yet somehow, something still went wrong. At approximately 1:00 AM, on Saturday, July 27, 1996, a pipe bomb exploded in Olympic Centennial Park. The pipe bomb, concealed in either a duffel bag or backpack, wounded approximately 100 people. There were no fatalities.
( http://www.emergency.com/olymbom2.htm )
( http://www.cnn.com/US/9607/27/olympic.bomb.main/#investigation )
This was in the pre-911 world.
Today is July 2, 2004, and most people are anxiously anticipating a long holiday weekend.
As expected, the FBI issued a homeland security warning for citizens to be "vigilant" and "aware of their surroundings". The idea being that if there were to be a terrorist attack, it would happen on a holiday, and as recent history has shown, this is when terrorists see a country to be at it's most vulnerable. I say "as expected" because this warning has been issued for every single holiday in this Post-911 world. I presumed that anyone who wasn't a complete imbecile, would expect this warning to be issued, and that they would indeed be "vigilant" and "aware of their surroundings".
I presumed wrong. There are imbeciles in this world.
In the very same article for the homeland security warning, I came across this:
"In Atlanta, the city transit system canceled days off for police and planned random sweeps of trains with bomb-sniffing dogs, spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green said." The article illudes to the fact that the Atlanta Transit system canceled the transit cop's "day off", but only AFTER the FBI's latest warning.
( http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20040702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terror_threat )
What? The transit cops were going to take the day off? In a post-911 world? They didn't learn their lesson after the 1996 Centennial Park pipe bomb? Have they lost their flippin' mind? They should have just hung signs on every piece of public transportation that read "Please Place Bombs Here!"
I can understand how some individuals might not be able to comprehend living in a post-911 world, but an entire agency? If one agency in the U.S. doesn't "get it", how many more are out there? How many holes do we actually have in our National security system?
LLS
(Author's Note: Eric Rudolph has been formally charged with the Centennial Park bombing
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/1998/October/477crm.htm )