$@*%$ bitchy, mindless Federal security!

The BBQ Pit
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Things are a wee bit tense in downtown Chicago today; I work 2 blocks from Federal Plaza, where most of the antiwar demonstrations have been taking place here. At lunch, I decided to walk over there, both to see what was going on and to duck into the Metcalfe Federal Building (not the one that is currently surrounded by six times as many cops as protesters; it’s the one across the street) to use the ATM, the only one within half a mile that is surcharge-free for my credit union.

The scene at Federal Plaza is a bit creepy; there are about half a dozen protesters just standing around holding signs and chatting with each other and with a couple of photographers. The main rally is planned for 5 pm, but the plaza is already ringed by numerous small bunches of police in riot gear (helmets, knee and shin pads, body armor, with bunches of plastic handcuffs hanging out of various pockets), police dogs (for which I don’t really see the point, unless they’re meant as an intimidation tactic; are they really afraid of drugs or bombs? If not, then why the dogs, unless to harass and intimidate protesters?), and marked and unmarked police cars and paddy wagons. It all feels rather ominous, as numerous protesters have been arrested last night and again this morning; the sirens around here have been pretty incessant. A friend who was there last night reports that those arrested were given no chance to disperse first, and there have been credible reports of protesters being hit on the head with clubs.

Anyway, I’ve satisfied my curiosity, so I walk across the street to use the ATM. For months they’ve had everyone go through X-ray machines to enter the building, which is a minor inconvenience, but no big deal. Today, however, they are checking ID’s. This strikes me as very silly, as they are not recording the information anywhere, and I mention this to the security guard as I hand her my driver’s license. (I made the same complaint when they started checking ID at Federal buildings after Oklahoma City. I’m a former Federal employee, and we’d been complaining about security for a long time – when I worked for DOJ, the Immigration Judges had to use the same restrooms as people they’d just ordered deported, and there were no X-ray machines whatsoever. I welcome useful security measures, but this seemed pointless. If anything happens, like, say, someone blows up the Federal Building, what use will it be that a dead security guard glanced at a piece of laminated plastic? Do they really think troublemakers can’t get their hands on a piece of photo I.D.?)

She gets snippy with me. “How do you know I’m not recording it?” Etc. etc., kvetch, moan, whine. Ummmm, well, unless you have magical cameras in your eyeballs, because I’ve had the damn thing in my hand the whole time, and you glanced at it for maybe 2 seconds? Geez, I’m not threatening anyone, I just want to use the ATM and maybe grab a burger at the food court! I understand if you’re a bit jumpier than usual, but why assume that I’m making trouble just because I’m questioning the usefulness of your half-assed security measure? I have no wish to die, either.

OK, back to the Huddled Masses…

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While I don’t argue with the uselessness of such measures, the checkers get snippy after the same question 169 times for which they have no answer other than, ‘Because that’s what the boss says to do’.

Many security measures are put into place more to give the majority peace of mind that something is being done.

My own story: At Ground Zero, there are heavily armed National Guardsmen guarding the entrances. On the otherside of a walkway that was once Vesey Street, at another downed building, there is no police or guard presense, and anyone can unlink the fence and walk in.

In my building, everyone’s packages were being x-rayed (this just stopped Monday). But a large percentage of people carry laptops, and there are always lots of wires that should raise suspicion flags. People are not xrayed. I guess I’ll hide my Uzi under my raincoat instead.

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What I find curious is that the 3 main Fed bldgs on the Fed Plaza in downtown Chi - the Metcalfe (with the food court) the Kluczynski (the one with all the cops around it) and the Dirksen (the courthouse) all have different ID procedures. For example, I can walk into the Dirksen just showing my ID. But at the Klu I have to do the x-ray/metal detector treatment. I wonder if the same quards are tired of seeing the same contents of my same gym bag every day?

For some reason, folks who go out to pick up lunch don’t have to put their bags full of purchased food through the scanner, and they aren’t allowed to carry them through the detector. So they just set their bags on the table, walk thru the detector, and then pick up their unexamined/unopened bag.

And tho we need to show our IDs going into the bldg, they rarely if ever ask to see them when we come back in from our runs.

Hmm. Hope I didn’t give away any state secrets here. Are we potentially vulnerable to gangs of terrorists disguised as a bunch of sweaty middle aged guys in running clothes toting McDonalds’ bags.

I wish I had the granite contract for all the planters and traffic blocks they are putting up around those buildings tho.

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Ya think…? (I work in the Loop, too) At lunch today 5 cops in full riot gear walked into the restaurant and the whole damn place fell silent. People sitting around with their forks halfway to their mouths… turns out they were on their lunch break. OK… carry on like normal, folks…

Yeah, that’s a lot of it… but let’s get real, a crowd of 5,000 would make a nice terrorist target, wouldn’t it?

Credible reports like full-color video on the TV, yep - but on at least one occassion I saw a riote-- >cough<, >cough< anti-war protester throw the first punch.

Frankly, the mob - for such it was - that shut down traffic in the Loop last night could have become extremely dangerous had violence erupted. While some of those arrested probably were innocent of any wrong-doing, the inclination in such situations is to round folks up and let the lawyers sort it out later

Yes, it’s silly, like a lot of other bullshit “security” measures.