# The White House **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973 "2010-06-04T19:16:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/1 "2010-06-04T19:16:09Z")
Roof. What’s up there? I’ve been watching “West Wing” and they showed a shot of the white house and it looked like some kind of fencing. Do they have artillery up there? Big ass laser guns or something? If you tell me, you have my permission to kill me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/2 "2010-06-04T19:30:11Z")
[Here’s my picture of the White House](http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/643302332/), taken about 3 years ago. There may be something hidden up on the roof, but it’s not large-scale artillery or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/3 "2010-06-04T19:40:12Z")
It is a roof. Pretty much unremarkable. There are numerous tall buildings around the White House from which you can look down on it, including a bar on the top floor of the Hotel Washington. Sorry, no lasers, spaceships, or secret Illuminati symbols. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/4 "2010-06-04T19:43:02Z")
There is supposedly an occasional country music star toking up, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/5 "2010-06-04T19:43:23Z")
Drat! I was hoping for a rocket launcher or something like that. Upon a second and closer look though, I think what I might have seen was renovation equipment… ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/6 "2010-06-04T19:45:01Z")
After 9/11 White House security was increased, [as was the airspace over Washington, DC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Air_Defense_Identification_Zone). Even attempts as using Google maps and other satellite imagery showed the White House and other buildings in the DC areas [were blurred out](http://www.securityfocus.com/news/7671). Whether that was done to obscure security assets that may be on the roof of the White House and other buildings, or just a simple attempt to slow down any attempt at an attack, will probably never be made public. There are [plenty of publicly available photographs](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/20/72001228_aeb5292b9b.jpg) of people on the White House roof, all practically captioned with [security, snipers, surveillance](http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I000020oTGIXmIQ4/s), etc., attributed to the images. The reality is we will never know one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/7 "2010-06-04T19:47:20Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > The reality is we will never know one way or the other. Uh, see post #3. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/8 "2010-06-04T19:51:02Z")
It would have been so cool if Paul McCartney could have played up there (when he was given the Gershwin Award) earlier this week. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/9 "2010-06-04T19:57:30Z")
Yes, I’m sure that there are security people up on the White House roof a lot of the time. There’s a whole lot of security around the White House, including large numbers of uniformed officers, and probably some in plain clothes. There are also large numbers of tourists around the White House most of the time: there’s a fence around the building, but outside the fence you can do any of the normal things that tourists do, including take photos and videos. And some of the security measures are obvious, like closed streets with concrete barriers, so that you can’t drive a truck loaded with explosives through the fence and into the White House – or into a lot of other government buildings in Washington DC. But there isn’t anything big hidden on the roof. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/10 "2010-06-04T20:01:20Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Sorry, no lasers, spaceships, or secret Illuminati symbols. There is a laser _deflector_ dish, though. Installed as a safety precaution after July 4, 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/11 "2010-06-04T20:17:51Z")
Snipers?? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/12 "2010-06-04T20:18:59Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Snipers?? :eek: Sure. Why’s that surprising? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/13 "2010-06-04T20:22:32Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Snipers?? :eek: Actually a pretty good security procedure when someone high-profile is going to be doing a public event, like giving a speech in the rose garden. I imagine they’re also up there and on alert when any of the Obamas walks Bo around the grounds or the girls play in their playground. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/14 "2010-06-04T20:22:35Z")
Re: laser deflector. Oh yeah. Forgot that. Isn’t there a similar deflector on the Sphinx? ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/15 "2010-06-04T20:22:41Z")
Very nice view of the White House roof from the Washington Monument. I’ve got several photos from when I happened to be up there when Marine One landed and took off (unfortunately, they’re at home and not with me now). There was security up there, but I saw nothing other out of the ordinary. Of course, if they had some sort of anti-air system up there, I’m guessing it would somewhat hidden. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/16 "2010-06-04T20:25:00Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Snipers?? :eek: Sniper is such a loaded word. Would you :eek: about highly trained armed guards protecting the white house. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/17 "2010-06-04T20:30:31Z")
While there doesn’t seem to be any fixed anti-air emplacement at the White House, I’ve heard they have a couple of Stinger missile teams at the ready. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/18 "2010-06-04T20:32:06Z")
Munch, I guess I’m just a wuss… But the word “snipers” reminds me of another time in my life. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/19 "2010-06-04T20:52:22Z")
I took [this shot](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27108728@N07/3609128677/) from the South Lawn when the Obama’s were out of town (Obama’s trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt) last year. Other than those spinny vent things I’ve got on my own house I see what looks like a security camera and what may be antennas or more likely, wires to keep birds from landing on the structure to the left of what looks a chimney. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house/541973/20 "2010-06-04T21:18:29Z")
Sasha and Malia’s frisbee? When I was a kid I was always getting stuff stuck on the garage roof.