Motorists approaching Capitol Hill experienced short delays this morning because of closed roads and security checkpoints instituted last night as part of the area’s heightened terrorist threat level.
(…)
The security measures on the Hill surprised and angered top city officials, who said they would lead to gridlock and discourage tourism in the nation’s capital.
This morning, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, complained that the city was “not part of the decision-making process” leading to the security measures around the Capitol.
Answering reader questions in an online discussion with washingtonpost.com, Ramsey said: “We are deeply concerned that these checkpoints will have a tremendous impact on traffic in surrounding neighborhoods, especially when more people are back at work and school in the fall.
“In the future,” he said, “there needs to be coordination with the District government prior to any federal agency closing streets or changing traffic patterns.”
Jeebus Cripes, what a FUCKING MORON. The federal government ought to toss the city government out on its ass and institute martial law. And yes, I mean that — literally. The city government operates on federal sufferance. They need to be reminded of that from time to time.
Thankfully cooler and perhaps more intelligent heads may prevail:
D.C. officials blasted the Capitol Hill action pointed out that the Capitol and Supreme Court were not mentioned in the announcement Sunday by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge that raised the threat level in the District, New York and Newark. Ridge singled out the financial districts in those locations, including the IMF and World Bank.
But [U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W.] Gainer said the alert level had been raised for the entire city and that the report of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States had indicated that the Capitol building was a target of al Qaeda.
“There has been ongoing concern about the Capitol,” Gainer said. “The 9/11 Commission report indicated the great likelihood that the Capitol was a target. We see the intelligence that terrorists would like to strike the United States and the Capitol of the United States.”
Well, duh.