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A look at national insecurity

Mike McLellan

President Abraham Lincoln could have used better security at Ford’s Theatre on that April evening in 1865. The lone guard was not good enough.

As both real and imagined threats grow, we have increased our security forces to levels that reflect those of the Indo-European nations. There is an increase in people armed with machine guns in unlikely places.

Here are three stories that have helped lead me to the conclusion that violence begets violence. 

If we become a police state, we will need even more police.

The Humphrey saga
During his 1968 presidential campaign, then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey spoke at a school yard in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Everywhere one looked, there were FBI and Secret Service snipers on rooftops, and the city’s SWAT team — huge men with armor and armament — surrounded the area. People seeing it understood the need for security, but they also felt that the presence of such force made for an environment of violence.

It was scary to think the worst of ourselves.

An Olympic feat
At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, buses transported spectators and athletes in from various outlying parking areas. Along the route to the Coliseum, the sidewalks seemed peaceful enough. Yet, if you looked down the side streets and into school yards, you could see hundreds of armed troops, plus tanks and helicopters.

It gave you the eerie feeling that something bad was supposed to happen.

Not coming up roses
This past week we were in Portland, Ore., and took in the Rose Festival. Along with the floral floats and carnival cotton candy, it was also Fleet Week, with various U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships tied up along the downtown river walk. The Willamette River seemed peaceful enough, except for the flotilla of police, sheriff and Coast Guard boats patrolling the water.

The small Coast Guard boats each had a machine gun mounted fore and aft. Standing guard with still another automatic weapon was a member of the military dressed to kill. It was enough to make your adrenalin pump.

Our secure(?) nation
The logic, as explained on television, was that after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, whenever our vessels gather, it is an invitation for terrorism. Had we forgotten the attack on the USS Cole in Aden harbor, Yemen, in October 2000?

We remember. We also remember days of less paranoia and more faith in one another. The outward show of potential violence deters only those who would be reluctant to commit violence in the first place.

A terrorist can beat the system, which is why they are terrorists and not tourists.
As long as we look over our shoulders, we are not looking at where we are going. As long as we fixate on what might happen, the terrorists have won, whether there is an attack or not.

This is not to suggest we should not be vigilant. When walking at night, it is good sense to carry a flashlight. If you feel the need to carry a loaded 9mm handgun, you should probably stay home.

Homeland security could take a cue from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. There were designated security officers, young men and women in berets and informal uniforms. Each was armed with a flashlight.

At the same time, there were hundreds of custodial personnel wearing bright-colored overalls sweeping up. In reality, the large-framed custodians were there to watch people, not for litter control. They were the real security, even though they did not look like it.

One armed guard visible per half-block in Portland would have been enough. We did not need the huge show of force. It was not particularly impressive, only sad. The real security could have been less obvious. Maybe it was.

What was obvious, however, was distrust.

We can do security better than with uniformed soldiers toting automatic weapons in airports. We do not need to look like Havana after the Bay of Pigs.

I am never afraid riding BART. I know that the large young man in the dark glasses across from me (he wears a jacket and a day pack in front) is a plainclothes policeman. But, I soon forget it.
We’ve let terrorists ruin airplane travel. Walking along the river is next. Then what?

The great show of force might hope to make us feel more secure, but it ultimately makes us feel more threatened and violent.

• Mike McLellan can be contacted by calling and leaving a message at 830-4201 or
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