LESSON 5-11-05 I think it may we said that the American people did well on their first alert.
May 11th around noon. Evacuation ordered for the halls of Congresss and other federal government sites. Unidentified aircraft were reported to be present four miles away.
For those closely concerned, four miles was a about the same as nothing. Someone estimated as it was happening that the people leaving the buildings in our national capital had "about a fifty-six second warning" had it been a standard military aircraft ...even less if that plane had already launched a guided missle to do the actual hit.
Is the "no-fly" zone around our national capital city large enough? Of course not. No such area is ever what it is said to be.
And, to be effective must be more complicated than most taxpayer citizens would ever allow it to become. It, to be effective, would need anti-aircraft concentrations, in-air confrontation forces and barrier and absolute control of all land-traffic movement by the military. There are far too many variables involved to allow for multiple source decisions.
An early time overview of the whole event, I think, indicates that the American people will take such things seriously. I think that was evident in public actions earlier. All of the expected types of evacuees were present except those who become subject to hysteria. It was evident, I felt, that this was being cosidered as being something more than reheresal or practice session. I had a good feeling about the general conduct of the departure. People moved along the sidewalks and pathways in a steady manner and with urging from police along the way. People in the lines followed those ahead of them seemingly confident that there was some one ahead of them who knew where they were going.
One has to have been under an actual threat of this nature to realize that people play "roles" under such pressures. Older men tend to try to be what they have always hoped the would be under such dire circumstances; older women turn to romantic views caring for others, young boys and girls find they have to make decisions they had never faced before. That which is learned during such moments is not so easily forgotten when the "all clear" has sounded.
I found myself wondering how it came to be that the specators in the balconies above the floor of the congressional bodies seemed to become aware of the alert a good minute or so ahead of those members of congress and their staff workers. I supposoe that will all be explained some day when it is determined how many cell phones, hand-held computers, TV sets and radios there were in use in the balconies. The spectators were up and about well ahead of the congressional staff and membership who were about ready to issue a general call to quell the disturbance in the balconies when they first became aware of the alert being under way.
We need to study our actions of this day. We have a great deal to learn and lives may be affected. We must learn well, and soon.
A.L.M May 11, 2005 [c544wds]
