Did ya see it? The footage of all those people running willy-nilly out of the government buildings in Washington, because a tiny Cessna aircraft had flown into restricted government airspace.
Very dramatic, wasn't it? Lots of shots of Capitol cops shouting orders and making grand gestures. People running semi-panicked. Even Nancy Reagan was evacuated by the Secret Service. And, of course, DUIbya wasn't at the White House--he was out riding his bicycle.
It sure makes for entertaining TV, doesn't it? You would've thought the world was ending. And you might think that it was a marvelous job of our government responding to a crisis. It couldn't have gone better if it was scripted.
Here's something for you to ponder, though:
This was a very small plane. You've all seen one at some point--it's that high winged monoplane that Cessna makes. You know, the one with the big tricyle wheels that don't retract.
My point is this: Exactly how much damage do they think this plane could've done by itself?
I mean, the last time someone tried doing some damage with a plane like this (remember when that plane crashed into the White House back in '94), it didn't even break a window.
And even IF this plane carried, say, machine guns, explosives, some kind of chemical weapon, or even, God forbid, a nuclear weapon, it wouldn't have made a difference whether these people were inside or outside. In fact, in the case of guns or chemical weapons, they probably would be safer on the inside.
But the point of this whole excercise is that it keeps everyone scared witless, and safely under control. Fear is an excellent motivator. It keeps us from questioning the government's actions. And I'm sure that the next time a couple of idiots in a plane make a left instead of a right, we will react in the same manner.
The government overreacted and pushed the panic button. And Americans responded to it like Pavlov's dogs.
What do you suppose might have happened if this had been an actual attack?
I shudder to think.
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