The Indy 500 season is upon us here in...well, Indianapolis, what'd you think? The track (much larger than most such venues) becomes a kind of temporary city with a population density tighter than Hong Kong and the independent town of Speedway around it doubles in size; hotels are filled throughout the metro and a good time is had by nearly all.
If you're a bad guy, it's a target-rich environment. (Me, I just start hating the traffic and longing for the month to be over, but I'm not all that sociable)
So what's the Department of Homeland inSecurity doing? Glad you asked! They're running a simulated earthquake drill. Sixty miles away, drawing in first responders and second-guessers from two-thirds of Indiana's counties plus their peers from several nearby states. In the middle of nowhere, all deeply involved and very busy for the entire week. ...I guess we'll know where they are if we need 'em....
The White House is running this clambake. That's some plannin'!
Og teases me for saying government, while a necessary evil, is still evil. And then shit like this happens. And all I can do is shake my head very slowly from side to side and sigh.
ReplyDeleteM
Maybe they hadn't ever heard about the race. I mean really, car racing? That's just something those cousin humping rednecks like, right?
ReplyDeleteI thought Indiana's EQ Drill was a month ago for just this reason?!
ReplyDeleteWell, back in the days before Perpetual Construction™, the state DOT always seemed to manage to shut down Indy's west side interstates starting on May 1st.
ReplyDeleteWhy should we expect better coordination from the feds?
(And recall all those Deepwater Horizon staffers who'd been called away from their posts for a safety awards presentation when things started going sour.)
Why does this not suprise me. having worked with the Feds on things like the mentioned earthquake drill, I am constantly amazed at their ability to interfere with real deal situations like the Indy 500.
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing about regular events like the race is that you know when they are coming and can plan ahead for them to put in place the personnel and equipment that you WILL need if things go OK, plus those that you MIGHT need if things go bad.
There's nothing like leaching off important personnel and equipment for a training exercise halfway across the state during a major event. Had they thought about it, the planning and structure set up for the race and all the contingencies in the surrounding community would make a dandy training exercise in and of itself. But, in my experience that's really asking for way too much when it comes to the Feds.
Do things start to get that crowded that far ahead of The Race?
ReplyDeleteHere where I live (SoFla) we have our share of Big Events--it's wonderful to have the SuperBowl, the Orange Bowl and the World Series all sitting directly athwart your drive home from work from time to time (I normally work on Sundays). Even the UM-FSU game caused a massive jam up this year.
But the hoopla on all those things doesn't seem to start until about a week before, and the people don't show up until maybe three days out.
So is having the local police off doing something other than driving drunk really have that much of an impact on the Indy?
Yes. It used to be the entire month of may was fouled up for locals by the race; now it's mostly the two weeks leading up.
ReplyDeleteThe race is a huge deal. I'm pretty sure it's bigger than the Superbowl. The amount of people they can -- and will -- pack in at the track is staggering. (And so are many of the people!)
My tinfoil hat may need a good airing, but somehow this scenario sounds a leeetle bit too much like it was written by Matthew Bracken for my taste.
ReplyDeleteWhat the... Earthquake drill? In indiana? We get them from time to time, but the only one that will require a response is when the Cincinatti carch goes, and I don't know if they can train for it, but scheduling training for an unlikely event when there's work to do seems foolish.
ReplyDeleteMark Alger! I'd love to argue the point with You and Og for a few hours.
ReplyDeleteJust because we haven't successfully dispensed with government yet, doesn't mean that we can't, or won't.
First we get a Candomble priest to reanimate the corpse of Ronald Reagan. Though with the current crop of Democrats, he's gonna be one anorexic Zombie. They make me bulimic.
Then when he proves to be a more able statesman than any of the current crop, we'll make him President For Death!
We can't make him President for Life after all!
You people have the date wrong. As everybody knows, Memorial Day is the 26th of April, at least in Georgia and Florida, the only states in which I have ever officially resided. Damyankees can't read a calendar!
ReplyDeleteWe invented Memorial Day, you DYs just imitated it.
Perl, you are invoking my smartass side. I have long thought it would be hilarious, if, say, the Nazis, or the Klan, were to have a procession through the town, to put up one of those beer company banners with
ReplyDelete"Welcome, Race Fans!" on it.
I write as a White guy who wants Herman Cain for President.
P.s. If a shootist is someone who shoots, is not a racist someone who races?
Oh, and Hi! Kish! I first saw your writing at Patterico's, and then looked at your own blog. Conservative "earnest socially awkward people" are rare, and I'm always glad to meet one.
ReplyDeleteTed @2:36: Bingoogle "New Madrid Fault"
ReplyDeleteWV: palin. No foolin'.