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In hindsight, 9/11 probably wasn't the best day to set something on fire at Logan
By adamg on Wed, 09/11/2013 - 2:16pm
Massport is apologizing for scheduling routine fire training at Logan today, because not everybody would realize that was only an old fuselage on fire rather than something more sinister on this anniversary date.
Massport apologizes for conducting the fire training exercise and understands that it may have offended many of those touched by the events of Sept. 11. Safety and security is our top priority and constant vigilance and readiness is critical, but the exercise should not have taken place on the anniversary of 9/11. The airport community recognizes the day with moments of silence, a service in the chapel, and a wreath at the 9/11 memorial.
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Comments
Although this is worse than
Although this is worse than Gidget, this guy is a Dukakoid, so he's probably safe.
They could have made it a memorial event
Observed a solemn moment of silence, reflected on how their work and training is important, etc. and invited the press.
Speaking of "please, not today", I wonder if that guy with the GINORMOUS black backpack that he ditched against the side of that giant pink granite building on State St. as he stood across the sidewalk 10 feet away and made a call ever got tired of people asking him if the pack was his?
I'm not particularly twitchy, but a giant pack without a person nearby ... that's text book ???
Well you know the other side of the coin...
...is that the police get called, they evacuate the area, block off the street(s), bring in the bomb squad, bomb-sniffing dogs, bomb-retrieving robots, detonate the backpack, etc.
Then quite a few people would get on this very message board and speak cynically of the cops over-reacting, creating "security Theater" and all that shit.
But re the original topic, yeah STUPID choice of date and venue for a drill. Drills and practice are great. But they should be both observant and vigilant today, instead of creating an entire different Security Theater example altogether.
European cities have more gypsies and thieves
European cities have more gypsies and thieves to remove unattended baggage at no expense. :-) Its an alternate solution to security theater!
Having a simulated crash at Logan may be the apology for allowing the hijackers to take off from Logan.
When and where did you travel, Markk?
The pickpocket/beggar/scammer situation really varies by city. They were a problem in Spain when I was there in 2011, and a constant issue in Rome and some areas of Prague this year, but largely absent when I visited Paris last year as they had offered the Romany people a free ticket home in the months before (panhandling and scamming were rampant, though). Munich had a few traditionally-dressed Arabic speaking folks who were panhandling on the move with their kids, but none of the cities I visited in Germany or Switzerland had pickpocket issues.
So, do tell us your recent visit experiences ... or did you just read all this at Reader's Digest on line?
Ticket where????
The Romany people's own oral history and/or DNA analysis might suggest someplace or other as an ancestral "home", but it makes very little sense to buy people a ticket to someplace where neither they, nor any of their ancestors ten generations back, have ever set foot.
Their language is traced back to India..
...I once read (but not in Readers Digest I don't think). And while traditionally they are nomadic, in more modern times they even do things like run for public office, which means a portion of them do set down roots after all.
Yeah, Markk. See if you can
Yeah, Markk. See if you can brag about being as well-traveled as SwirlyGrrl.
-Davve
"Allowing" the hijackers?
"Go right ahead, boys, kill with Massport's blessing".
MSM looking for a story where there is no story.
This is a special kind of nonsense.
As I have pointed out before, anyone who pays attention to what happens around town should realize when there is a small plume of smoke from that area of the field, it is a drill in the fire pit.
Maybe Massport fire (and by the way, it is not always Massport fire that is training there) should not have conducted the exercise today today if there would have been no adverse effects to cancelling it. However, training schedules are frequently dictated by other things - e.g., weather conditions (for multiple reasons, for example, (a) firefighting training in different kinds of conditions; and (b) because weather dictates the pattern of arriving and departing air traffic, and Massport Fire often will not, or cannot, train in the pit when certain patterns are in effect), availability of firefighting apparatus and equipment, personnel, etc.
Massport is smartly playing this down, saying mea culpa, etc. to avoid making a story of it, but the grown-ups should realize that this is the msm looking for a story where there is no story.
Weather conditions
Serious inversion. High pollution levels. Hot day.
Certainly this should factor in. However, people don't happen to just know the fire pit stuff - and today is the kind of day when a lot of people might be around who aren't familiar with airport operations.
Remember: international airports have the pesky habit of attracting people who aren't normally there on any given day. Logan Armpit has the same mentality about not clearly directing people to where to catch the blue line shuttle and silver line buses - they assume anybody who is around works there everyday.
Come on, Governor. Lame duck doesn't mean lame cmts are ok.
Governor Patrick should know better than to say things like it's "just dumb", particularly when he has more important things to do, like identifying where an additional $160M for transportation expenses is going to come from because of a lack of reasonable foresight.
Also, and meaning
no disrespect to the "Never Forget" folks, this was an anniversary of 9/11, but not a milestone anniversary (i.e. 5 year, 10 year, 40 year).
9/11 was a tragic event on so many levels. But this "let's replay the gore year after year" is getting old.
At Logan
Because everyone at Logan airport is from here and checks on all of the goings-ons all the time...
My Most Cherished Memorial Is 'The Wiz'
For me, my most cherished memorial to that horrible day; and to what life was like before then; is watching the 1978 movie 'The Wiz'. Although it always brings me to tears, the fabulous "color changing" dance scene was filmed right there in the center of the plaza between the towers. When Dorothy and company go up to see the Wizard, they're walking into the actual lobby; all polished up and sparkling; it's just so beautiful...
.
.
(I also think 'The Wiz' is one of Michael Jackson's finest performances)
Totally agree
For a lighter tribute, I also like the episode of The Simpsons where Homer and family go to Manhattan to retrieve his car, which Barney abandoned in the middle of One World Trade Center plaza.
Training should be as realistic as possible
Best to have a drill when nobody expects it than to have it pre-planned. As taught in the academy and basic training, "expect the unexpected". One hopes that U.S. Marines and C.I.A., even if only a handful are assigned to the most dangerous embassies (despite requests for more help) drilled early this morning with the personnel that they had, mindful of 09-11-01 and 09-11-12 (Benghazi).