So long, D.C. — it's been a wonderful life
When I arrived here 16 years ago, Ronald Reagan was president. The Iron Curtain (and the Berlin Wall) were still standing, and everyone expected them to remain for our lifetimes. Few had heard of Saddam Hussein. None had heard of al-Qaida or Osama bin Laden.
Terrorism was something that happened in the Middle East or Northern Ireland. It's different now; after all, I was in the Capitol on 9/11 when a plane supposedly targeting it went down in Pennsylvania. I was in the Hart Senate Office Building when anthrax was released. The fact I'm alive testifies that Osama and allies are lousy shots.
Sixteen years ago, tourists were free to roam almost all corners of the Capitol building. It was annoying to work through those crowds when I was in a hurry. Now I miss them. The only tourists in the Capitol are in small groups led by staff from their hometown member of Congress — and they are tightly controlled and watched.
Roads near congressional buildings that have not been closed are lined with concrete planter boxes — not there for the flowers but to prevent potentially explosives-laden vehicles from getting close enough to do severe damage.
Concrete barriers, in fact, line every road with a government building in Washington, which is most of the major ones.
I took some of my children for a final, quick trip to some Smithsonian museums last week. We had to wait in long lines not for a glimpse of the Hope Diamond but to get through metal detectors — which have appeared at museums only since 9/11.
We walked by the Washington Monument. From its top to near its base it looks the same. But the government added a new annex to allow thorough security screening of tourists. The hill where the monument stands is currently torn apart. Rangers say a series of ditches is being installed to prevent terrorists from driving up to it.
As my son, Josh, said, "Why don't they just dig a moat and put crocodiles in it."
As you can tell, Washington has become a bit paranoid and obsessed with terrorism. It happened step by step — and has not been too noticeable, unless one compares it with a point, say, 16 years ago. Maybe it's a sign how much terrorists have won from us, and at the same time a sign of how we want to keep them from winning more.
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