Under the category of "we've gotta
do SOMEthing" -- The St. Anthony's Triathlon has instituted a "no
backpacks in the transition zone" rule. Competitors will not be allowed
to bring any transition bags, backpacks, or duffel bags into the
transition zone, and will be issued two clear plastic bags in which to
place all their gear.
Seriously?
I
get that we're all in shock from the bombing at the Boston Marathon
just a week ago. I get that we feel another sense of security is gone,
another nail in the coffin of faith-in-our-fellow-man has been driven,
but this kind of reaction is JUST what I feared would happen. Knee-jerk,
we-gotta-get-busy stuff that, if one were to think about it, is
much-ado-about-nothing-effective.
Do
we really think that one of the participants is the potential threat in
these situations? Or are we just eliminating the bag from transition
zones so that if any are there, we KNOW they're hiding an explosive?
What's to keep that bag just outside the transition zone from hiding a
bomb?
Once
again, the policies punish the people who are the least likely to be
the culprits, all in the name of a false sense of security.
On
a more up-beat note, I've gotten my new bike built enough to be
semi-road-worthy, and took it out on its maiden voyage of about an
eighth of a mile last night. Still need to dial in the brakes a little
(first time riding disk brakes), tape the bars, and cut the fork
steerer.
1 comment:
Chillax - man. I think that it was to be expected that St A's would do something. It is a bigger race right after the event. This seems pretty non-invasive to me. Also, I think that it helps people who might be on edge to relax a little bit because it is harder to hide something in a clear bag. And the clear bags do help anybody who's looking to focus on the other bags that could hide something. Comparing this to the lunacy of taking off our shoes at airport screenings this actually makes some sense to me.
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