Don't Bother Visiting Washington DC!

[Snowdoove]

Greetings!

I read a Commentary by Kathryn Sinzger of the Common Denominator, Washington's Independent newspaper.

If you haven't been to OUR Nation's Capital, don't bother making the trip these days. If you must go there don't take your camera.

Kathryn decides to go out and get Pictures she needed for her writings. She jumps in her car, only to find the traffic backed up and crawling on Fourth Street NE.

(Fourth Street NE is closer to the Capital)

She decides to find a parking spot in the residental area on Maryland Dr. She gets out of her car and walks toward the Capital.

She didn't have a route planned so she walked toward 2nd Street. Where she encountered the first new roadblocks. She watched the police has they glanced at one car after the other. So much for heightened security, she says.

She decides to head toward the House side of the Hill. As she walks behind the US Supreme Court building, she notices that private homes are caught behind the barricades. (She wonders how will an ambulance or fire truck get thru this mess)

She continues to walk on toward the US Capital on East Capital Street.

She tells about how she notices the street signs- "Independence First," it seems to say. She takes her camera out and begins to take pictures. She thinks how ironic it is tht streets called "Independence" and "Constitution" are now the site of police checkpoints that impede the free movement of vehicles.

She takes more pictures catching "Do Not Enter" and "Stop".

Nearby, two marked US Capital Police cars had hopped the curb and were parked across the grass by the US Botanic Garden. She takes their pictures.

She decides it is time to get back to her office. She walked along the West Front of the Capital and realized there weren't many tourists. While she is waiting for a light, she hears two police officers asking drivers of two vans---one of them a church van---where they were going. She wondered why the answer to that question mattered.

She reaches First Street NorthEast. She pulls out her camera and begins to take more pictures. She saw another checkpoint. Before she new it an officer approached her. Telling her she couldn't stand in the half blocked street and take pictures.

She moves on after giving the officer her two cents on the matter of taking pictures from where she stood.

She crosses D street, pulls out her camera, takes more pictures, walks to the curb to wait for the walking light. The light turns and she precedes to walk across the street. Half way across she hears someone calling her "Miss!" A US Police Officer was addressing her.

She offered a handshake to the officer, told him who she was and to whom she worked for.

He asked for her ID. She gave him her ID and press card. She was told to wait.

The Officer walked away from her carrying her ID cards in his hand.

The officer returns to her and tells her she must wait for the "task Force

' person to arrive.

She asks the officer , If he treats the tourist and residents who take pictures this way!" The Officer says, "Yes!" Kathryn asks the officer, Are you under orders to do this? He replys "Yes!"

Kathryn continues to protest her detention and suggests he call his chief to check her out. A few moments go by and then the officer says She is free to go. She has to ask again for her "ID".

She returns to her office to find out that a fellow Journalist was also detentied.

However, the police took his camera away from him.

Kathryn is angry and becomes angrier as she listens to her reporter. Any possible consideration of a "reasonable" explanation four their treatment at the hands of the Capital police evaporated, along with her tears four their loss of freedom. :t:

What happened to them---and similar treatment that may happen to others, both US. citizens and foreign tourist---is wrong.

You may want to contact Kathryn if you are making plans to visit Washington D.C.

You may contact Kathryn Sinzinger at: editor@thecommondenominator.com. :x:

Snowdoove

[nebula]

Fear does a funny thing to people.

I remember when the DC Sniper was on the loose. I live in an adjacent county to where some of the shootings took place. Even we were afraid to pump gas at the stations here!

When dealing with an enemy whom you don't know, don't know what he'll do, son't know what he's capable of other than killing, what else are officials supposed to do to protect the buildings and the people?

[traveller]

So, is it Washington D.C.'s fault that terrorists have targeted it for destruction? Is it the fault of the police for trying their best to thwart it? What is the answer here? If a major hit happens, then they will be blasted for not doing enough to protect the city. It one doesn't happen, then reports like this one will abound.

Our world has changed. It is a sad thing indeed.

[Steff]

Fear does a funny thing to people.

I remember when the DC Sniper was on the loose. I live in an adjacent county to where some of the shootings took place. Even we were afraid to pump gas at the stations here!

When dealing with an enemy whom you don't know, don't know what he'll do, son't know what he's capable of other than killing, what else are officials supposed to do to protect the buildings and the people?

Officials should transfer some of the responsibility over to the population. By doing what they have done, the terrorists have already won and we have lost the freedom that we so cherish. In a free society, security is not always a possibility, at least the founding fathers knew that.

So, is it Washington D.C.'s fault that terrorists have targeted it for destruction? Is it the fault of the police for trying their best to thwart it? What is the answer here? If a major hit happens, then they will be blasted for not doing enough to protect the city. It one doesn't happen, then reports like this one will abound.

Then people need to wake up, the government cannot provide absolute security, poor foregin policy and bad judgement by our leaders has led us to this end. It's high time people woke up and realized that the terrorists have already won if we continue like we are.