Michael Burstein, who grew up in New York, reports:
This morning, as I was taking the T to work, I was reading the New York Times. On pages A14-A15, they revisited some of the families who lost loved ones in the attacks, in the same "Portraits of Grief" style they used to eulogize the victims in the months afterwards. I found myself uncontrollably and spontaneously bursting into tears. I had to stop reading. ...
Lewis Forman reports from the Blue Line:
Lewis Forman marvels that the State Police could lose plastic explosives at Logan Airport:
... Um, did the donuts get in your way or the fact you are getting overtime x4 for standing around not noticing anything. ...
Lis Riba is less than reassured by official assurances that the explosive would need a detonator fuse to explode:
... Oh, I feel so much safer.
If you want to see just how far on edge we've gotten, read Al Chase's account of the multi-inning confrontation he had with a couple of guys at last night's Sox game because of the book he'd been reading on the T ride over:
Doc Searls was at Logan yesterday at 4:30 a.m., waiting for a United flight to Los Angeles, when the TSA started its new crackdown. He filed a report from the terminal:
... I'm writing this now while standing in line, waiting for the checkpoints to open. Been here awhile. The line is getting longer and the checkpoints still aren't open (now almost 5am). My flight to LAX is at 6:45am and I'm near the front of the line; so I'm one of the lucky ones. I can see that, for most folks flying in the U.S. (and maybe elsewhere), it's going to be a long day today.
And if you're the least bit eccentric, for God's sake, take Greyhound. Also note: Ban on liquids hits Vermont where it lives - maple syrup.
Local bloggers react to the day's news:
Urbanoutback tries driving to work and, amazingly, discovers he actually misses taking the T. Except for the announcements:
You read, of course, about the alleged terrorists disguised as panhandlers in Somerville. And no doubt you've been thinking "hmm, but what's the impact on Boston-area chess players?" DG notes the headquarters of the Boylston Chess Club is in the same building as the Social Security office, which the homeless terrorist was pacing in front of:
Greg and his fiance are waiting for a commuter-rail train at track 3 at Back Bay on Thursday when a train pulls up on track 1 and something explodes with a blinding light and a loud boom:
Nobody.
Said.
A.
Word.
Not one G-ddamned word! Some nimrods who saw the explosion smiled and laughed at the noise. ...
On the Red Line this morning, Sarah notices a young woman, wearing a head scarf and sofly crying as she was reading the paper:
... People started looking suspiciously at her and moving away in an uncomfortable manner, and it looked like one genius even got off at Downtown Crossing and walked over to a MBTA policeperson (though, in fairness, I have no idea what he said or if he actually spoke to him). ...
The Transport Avenger reports on official reaction to his letter complaining about how it took MBTA police 20 minutes to respond to a report of a suspicious bag thrown on the Green Line tracks at North Station just three days after the first London bombings: He got a form letter from Mitt Romney and nothing from anybody at the MBTA:
... Why didn't the police arrive immediately, especially after the London bombings mere days ago?
It's a nice day, so rcolonna bikes over to the Black Falcon Pier for some planespotting (it being right across the harbor from the airport). Not long after, though, a Massport cop jumps out of his car and demands he stop taking pictures:
Well, at least we know not everybody's abandoned cassette tapes yet: 'Ticking' Luggage Prompts South Station Evacuation.
Onesnap reports:
I watched helicopters soaring overhead and stood near the bomb squad truck. Once it was clear it was just a 'scare' I felt much better about being there. But for a moment there it was kinda scary. ...
David uses an online FBI anti-terrorism form to complain about how bad online FBI anti-terrorism forms are. Now he's a bit concerned:
Nervous Maverick wishes the T would take all the money it's spending on security-awareness pamphlets and use it for actual security:
All those "If you see something, say something" announcements on the T yesterday started getting to Evan. And then the strange young man got on the trolley at Northeastern:
With the T now at Orange Alert, Sco says we need to remember all the other vulnerable targets in New England, both present and planned - such as the proposed LNG terminal in Fall River:
... While the Fall River facility might be moved or stopped, according to a Report Commissioned by Congressman Ed Markey, there are as many as 27 other chemical facilities where a worst-case incident would effect more than 10,000 people. ...
In London, while enduring the aftermath of a terrorist attack, they print signs to ease turmoil. In Boston, well, chaos reigns...
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