De-fenceless against terrorists
If terrorists decided they wanted to do something evil with the 90-ton chemical tankers on the side of the Turnpike, do you think they'd turn around and give up when they saw there was a fence? The New Jersey Turnpike Authority does. It voted to spend $6 million to put up a 10-foot fence between Linden and Newark.
Pretty lucrative for the fence guy, I'm sure. A fence, for crying out loud. And 10-feet tall? Why bother? Homeland security is too important to be looking for ways to spend money ... remember the air-conditioned garbage trucks Newark bought with Homeland Security funds?
And what's with a fence? Who's getting these fence contracts? Whenever I get onto Route 18 northbound from Route 138 eastbound in Wall, I drive past a lovely white fence that provides a barrier between the off-ramp and ... What? I don't know ... there don't appear to be any homes immediately on the other side. And if there were, how much noise is a fence going to block? Or is it for the drivers' safety? An out-of-control car is going to be stopped by a fence? I don't think so.
Years ago, when "soundproof" walls went up along the highways, I remember talking with family and friends about how ugly they were, and we joked how somebody connected obviously got the contract, because many of these walls were nowhere near housing. It doesn't seem so funny now. It's sad, almost as pitiful as trying to sell the idea that a fence is going to stop terrorists.
Pretty lucrative for the fence guy, I'm sure. A fence, for crying out loud. And 10-feet tall? Why bother? Homeland security is too important to be looking for ways to spend money ... remember the air-conditioned garbage trucks Newark bought with Homeland Security funds?
And what's with a fence? Who's getting these fence contracts? Whenever I get onto Route 18 northbound from Route 138 eastbound in Wall, I drive past a lovely white fence that provides a barrier between the off-ramp and ... What? I don't know ... there don't appear to be any homes immediately on the other side. And if there were, how much noise is a fence going to block? Or is it for the drivers' safety? An out-of-control car is going to be stopped by a fence? I don't think so.
Years ago, when "soundproof" walls went up along the highways, I remember talking with family and friends about how ugly they were, and we joked how somebody connected obviously got the contract, because many of these walls were nowhere near housing. It doesn't seem so funny now. It's sad, almost as pitiful as trying to sell the idea that a fence is going to stop terrorists.
1 Comments:
Welcome to New Jersey, Clare. $6 million for a fence is a drop in the bucket in this post-9-11 world that we live in.
Have you recently spoken to any cops in Newark and/or Elizabeth? These guys are getting PAID big Federal dollars to sit there on their off-duty hours to "guard" Port Newark/Port Elizabeth against terrorist attacks. Basically, and according to the Feds, the off-duty cops are there to create a "deterrent effect." Basically, and according to what I can see, the cops are watching movies in their cruisers on portable DVD players while collecting the $48+ an hour that the Feds throw at them to be there.
Ah, but who cares, really? A couple of hundred cops will be able to pay off their mortgages 15 years early. Considering the deficit spending that our nation is oh-so-addicted to, all we are really talking about here is borrowed money, after all. It is not like anyone alive today will have to actually pay for this stuff, right?
Yeah, right. May God and our grandchildren both have mercy on our souls.
Post a Comment
<< Home