The Star-Telegram of Ft. Worth, TX reported on Thursday that local police officers were concerned that weapons screening was halted more than an hour before the candidate spoke at a Dallas arena.
The Secret Service defended the action by saying that there was no deviation from their "layered" security measures but failed to explain why such a large number of people were simply let in with not so much as going through a metal detector.
In this day and age, and with the history of Dallas as being the site of the Kennedy assassination, what the fuck!? How could a federal order come down to mandate that Secret Service agents NOT protect a candidate and allow for the potential of an unfortunate situation?
What really pissed me off is that they justified it by saying that they wanted to let everyone in before he spoke and that security was holding up the line...and THEN saying that the crowd appeared to be "friendly."
*blink blink*...appeared to be friendly?
I hate to get into the conspiracy theory business, but why would the nation's most thorough security outfit have a lapse in judgement of this magnitude in an arena containing 17,000 people with different minds and motives; for the nation's first Black candidate, who received death threats as soon as he announced his run, and was assigned a Secret Service detail over a year ago?
I've seen Obama speak three times here in SC at smaller venues, and I was never searched or sent through a metal detector. Hell, I even walked up to him personally at a party, shook his hand, and took a picture with him. It bothered me and I tried to justify that maybe the Secret Service knew what they were doing, but the more I think about it that just doesn't fly. You can't even go into a high school basketball game without going through a metal detector and we're letting a viable Black presidential candidate--that could very well be the leader of the Free World--speak in front of large crowds of unscreened people?
Either the federal government wants something to happen to this man or the Secret Service needs to get their shit together. It's easier to inconvenience a couple thousand people than to have to explain why you didn't do enough to protect a presidential candidate in the aftermath of a tragedy. As much as things change, they stay the same.
5 comments:
I feel you on this one because the Secret Service is not the type of organization that has laspses in judgement. However, the president and other diplomats are out in public places often, and I would imagine it's not possible to send every person that ever get's a glimpse at a diplomate through a metal detector. I'm not a security expert but I HOPE they had snipers and agents scattered throughout the venue to catch something before it potentially happens. If they didn't it's certainly something to be concerned about.
I agree with your frustration, but I also think it is a little unrealistic to send everyone through a metal detector at every venue, everytime. I, too, am hoping they had snipers, or something to watch his back.
And, I'm praying nobody takes a shot at him.
KB -- give it a year...
I don't understand how thousands of people can't go thru metal detectors everyday...they do it at concerts, at schools, and at airports...everyday
Rell...don't say a year...
I saw Hillary Clinton speak at my school here in Worcester MA, and wasn't searched. I don't think anyone was. I don't think there was any major deviation in security plans at that event you wrote about.
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