NORFOLK
The Navy announced that Gates 1 and 10 at Norfolk Naval Station will remain closed until further notice due to a security exercise running through Friday.
Commuters must plan to use an alternate gate. The annual exercise, known as Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield, is taking place at all area naval installations.
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As I sat there in traffic that was at a dead stop...
I thought about how cool it would be to build a regional transportation system - run it from the East end of Virginia Beach to Franklin and from the South end of Chesapeake to Williamsburg. Have stations with plenty of parking, serviced by buses that run through the neighborhoods and major shopping to/from the stations AND have stations at all the "hot spots" - bases, shipyards, airports, shopping, downtowns. Then levy tolls on the roads that go to the places that are serviced by the system and charge outrageous prices for parking at the destinations. Use that revenue to help subsidize the system and know it may take a bit more. It has to be better than $5 a gallon gasoline....
inconvenience doesn't = security
The basic idea that by putting as much pressure on the gates as possible and backing up traffic and causing infrastructure problems, we are making our people safer is so blatantly flawed that I don't know how to address it without cussing.
First off, you announce the fact that you are having a weeks worth of security drills on all the bases in the area, so, let's see....if I'm "Jihad Joe," guess which week I'll probably elect to hang out with the hooka and watch porn?
Seriously, does anyone really think that some jihadists are gonna roll up to the gate with a really bad fake id? or a car with improper decals?
So...if not, they are getting through because they would be pros and they know our tactics because those NEVER change!
Continued
and the truth is, Jihad Joe could cause more havoc on the 2 miles of gridlocked 564 than he could on the damn base anyway.
Seriously folks, don't be fooled. It really is about inconvenience.
Our enemies use it against us all the time.
By the way...when was the last time a gate guard or MAA actually saw Jihad Joe, or better yet a suicide bomber. Or had to stop a speeding suicide car? Maybe those are the types of scenarios that should be run? But that may make THEM uncomfortable and that would be INCONVENIENT, so instead....back up traffic, create gridlock and call it a success.
madness
Continued
and the truth is, Jihad Joe could cause more havoc on the 2 miles of gridlocked 564 than he could on the damn base anyway.
Seriously folks, don't be fooled. It really is about inconvenience.
Our enemies use it against us all the time.
By the way...when was the last time a gate guard or MAA actually saw Jihad Joe, or better yet a suicide bomber. Or had to stop a speeding suicide car? Maybe those are the types of scenarios that should be run? But that may make THEM uncomfortable and that would be INCONVENIENT, so instead....back up traffic, create gridlock and call it a success.
madness
Continued
and the truth is, Jihad Joe could cause more havoc on the 2 miles of gridlocked 564 than he could on the damn base anyway.
Seriously folks, don't be fooled. It really is about inconvenience.
Our enemies use it against us all the time.
By the way...when was the last time a gate guard or MAA actually saw Jihad Joe, or better yet a suicide bomber. Or had to stop a speeding suicide car? Maybe those are the types of scenarios that should be run? But that may make THEM uncomfortable and that would be INCONVENIENT, so instead....back up traffic, create gridlock and call it a success.
madness
of course the navy will call this a success
I call it stupid is as stupid does. Once they realized the magnitude of the problem this exercise was causing they should have stopped it and gone back to the drawing board. Think about it, let's say there were an actual attack or other emergency on the base and the ships and aircraft needed to be pulled out asap. That would be nearly impossible to achieve with the crew and pilots sitting outside the base in grid lock. Not a demonstration of good thinking. By the way, I work on the base and can tell you that today was very very costly to my command and as a result costly to some other commands. Instead of seeing the problems caused by today and putting it in the lessons learned file, they'll repeat the same actions tomorrow. Real smart!
Lucky!
If Oceana was bad, the area around Naval Station Norfolk was a total disaster. I64 backed up, I564 stalled, Hamptom Blvd at a standstill, Little Creek Rd locked tight, Granby St motionless, Wards Corner looking like a Demolition Derby parking lot. Heaven help us if we ever have a real disaster or emergency. I felt sorry for the Fire department people trying to wend their way through Wards corner, and on second thought. even sorrier for those who were waiting on them! This would have been a GREAT tfor the BRAC committee to have visited!
NAS Oceana
I waited over 4 hours to get onto NAS Oceana today I live on that base, yes people there is base housing on Oceana. I am completely for training and drills when it comes to antiterrorism, but at some point we have to realize that our family members need attention. I finally gave up and parked my car in the field across from the NEX. I walked 1 1/2 miles home. I passed several parents and single moms who walked to the base day care to pick up their children. VERY UNSAT OCEANA! It was 42 degrees outside and I saw babies from day care bundled up for the walk home. and I also personally witnessed the "gate guards" laughing and cutting up as I had to be searched to get home to my kids. This was the biggest CF I have witnessed.
Thanks to the CO of NAS