“We’d like the patrol to be everywhere, all the time, but they don’t have the staff or the money,” said ferry spokeswoman Susan Harris-Huether. “If they’d have been (at Bainbridge), none of this would have happened.”
I was researching old news links after I posted a blog on WSF security. I found the above example of excellent news reporting. There have been several incidents at ferry terminals over the years. Instead of asking any questions, newspeople will often post a press release from agencies handling the situation.
“Washington State Ferries officials had received two complaints from passengers, saying that they had to abide by security measures while Michael did not.”
The Washington State Patrol uses dogs to check vehicles at some ferry terminals on some days. Walk-on passengers are not checked at any terminal- at any time.
My interest in WSF security comes up now because it looks like there was no security staff present at:
Mukilteo or Clinton for an inbound/outbound DUI driver. Two fatalities.
“When the ferry arrived in Clinton, everyone got off the ship, except Cruz. She had reportedly fallen asleep over her steering wheel.”
“Ferry staff tried to rouse her, but were unsuccessful. Finally, with the help of more employees, they were able to wake Cruz up. The lawsuit alleges the state Department of Transportation destroyed surveillance video showing this.”
“At this point, WSF staff had already observed Cruz strike another vehicle in the ferry lineup, they had received passenger reports of Cruz’s intoxication, they called to request assistance from Washington State Patrol, they required the assistance of multiple crewmembers to wake her up from her unconscious state,” the lawsuit reads. “Despite being informed that Cruz was impaired, the Vessel’s crew directed Cruz to drive her vehicle off the ferry.”
Recommendation:
Be honest. Report the facts. Eliminate ongoing war on terror/security theater mixed messages. Insist on more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
If the GWOT is bogus, just say so.
Forget about the War on Terror and The US Dept. of Homeland Security and ask yourself:
When motorists at a local ferry terminal witness erratic driving/driving over a curb and the rear-ending of another car in the ferry lane, should they be ignored when they report it? Should WSF terminal staff & boat crews be placed in a situation where they make it up as they go along because no impaired driving response protocols are in place on the job?
Background
Looks like no security staff present at several incidents:
Mukilteo or Clinton for inbound/outbound DUI driver. Two fatalities.
Gunfire on Bremerton ferry during Puget Sound crossing.
If the Oklahoma City bomber rolls onto the ferry-how does the SWAT team help out an hour later?
This state-run media video shows US Coast Guard gun boats escorting the ferries. K-9 teams are on site to detect explosives:
A state-run media report from June, 2012-
This video tells us that security personal are on site every day-at 2:56
Maybe security personnel are present at some specific terminal each day. Dozens of round trip crossings from various terminals indicate that in many cases-no security screening takes place prior to boarding ferries.
Several Whidbey beaches remain closed all year long for recreational shellfish harvest because of sewage treatment outfall.
Sewage treatment outfall. Not stormwater. Not climate change.
Reporting on this topic appears to be completely off limits to the press.
View the Washington State Department of Health beach list here.
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Has anyone ever seen the Puget Sound area press ask questions about Whidbey water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls?
Has anyone ever seen any government agency, elected official or volunteer organization seeking answers related to one or more sewage treatment plants sending unsafe product into the waters near Whidbey Island?
Moments later, around 1 p.m., Cruz crossed over the center line on Highway 525 near Campbell Road, hitting the Mercedes occupied by Gamble, 77, and Weikle, 78. Gamble died at the scene. Almost two weeks later, Weikle died from his injuries. They were both from Everett.”
“…WSP Vessel and Terminal Security Troopers responded to the MV Kaleetan upon its arrival at Colman Dock. By that time, WSF crews had already secured the suspect, who had boarded the vessel by vehicle.”
Not my idea to promote the concept that riding safely on the ferry requires gun boat escorts, SWAT teams and K-9s on the job to detect explosives.
If a guy decides to fire a gun during a 60 minute ferry crossing and WSP waits to respond until the ferry arrives at Colman Dock, how is this security?
Will newspeople follow up and let us know if the guy who purposefully fired his handgun from the ferry had a concealed carry permit?
Did he pass any sort of background check?
A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
This video tells us that security personal are on site every day-at 2:56
Maybe security personnel are present at some specific terminal each day. Dozens of round trip crossings from various terminals indicate that in many cases-no security screening takes place prior to boarding ferries.
Fatality – Anacortes ferry dock
Where were security personnel when this fatality motor vehicle incident took place at the Anacortes ferry terminal?
“Those who messed up must reckon with how they went wrong. Politicians and public health authorities whose decisions caused serious harm need to acknowledge what happened.”
TV news today is like watching paid actors performing on stage. High level government officials are just as likely to get promoted and awarded a bigger budget than to get fired when things go wrong.
A man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment.
Since that time, both major parties have taken turns in power and have squandered credibility that would help in the current situation.
Federal DEA agents swing into action after federal US Dept. of Homeland Security agents fail to keep 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine from moving past strict post 911/GWOT security protocols at border crossings and ports of entry, then showing up in Norco, California:
Thanks for risking your ass in Iraq & Afghanistan-working to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduced access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
Has there been enough time for newspeople to ask questions?
Newspeople remain silent.
April 1, 2020 C-SPAN
WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
Both major parties and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
Love to see newspeople interview the US Dept. of Homeland Security & ask:
Are passports/enhanced/REAL IDs effective in keeping cartel drugs out of the US?
Standard driver’s licenses have not been accepted at the border since 2009.
If sending US troops to Afghanistan and creating a $49.8 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was meant to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things, why are drug cartels able to move product into all 50 states?
American freedoms come and go. None of the above are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion. Don’t look for any of this discussion to be prompted by newspeople showing initiative or curiosity in asking questions.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
Sorry guys- Veterans Day is over for another year. Sorry for the bait & switch on the pharmacy deal. See us in November 2023 for your free meal at participating major restaurant chains. We’ll also offer up some sort of militarized pageantry at major sports events.
Welcome Home Troops – Penn Valley, California
Not enough undeclared/unwon wars to get it right. Plenty of cash to ship to other countries. Plenty of cash for DOD to go and nibble around the edges of distant countries that may be potential enemies.
Every few years, no matter what political party or personality is in power, there are moves to modify what people thought they were earning in exchange for 20 years of unrestricted worldwide service.
This is the same country where both major parties invite veterans to be momentarily honored at State of the Union events when they control the White House.
The guys who did time in the Vietnam War may have grown up in a family where Dad was a WWII veteran.
The guys who did time in the Vietnam War may have been WWII veterans.
It feels like the people who run the Pentagon have made a career of undeclared/unwon wars. It is understandable that people would not want to take part in this.
After squandering DOD credibility for decades in distant lands, top generals are now hurting for people to sign up.
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
One of the very most meaningful federal holidays for some. Stolen from Armistice Day in the 1950s. At that time, the US Dept. of Defense had started a decades-long tradition of not being able to stay out of or win undeclared wars in distant lands.
Americans were told that they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
Hey newspeople, if all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
American Rights and Freedoms?
Love to see the press, school teachers, sports announcers and politicians come clean on how any of this was linked to American rights and freedoms or defending the constitution.
Several federal holidays feature a theme related to the idea that the troops are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms.
American freedoms come and go. None of the above are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
Hey school teachers, are the Joint Chiefs of Staff sending The Troops to fix any of this?
Why do we speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
Love to see the press find out from elected officials how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
If a right to vote has always been protected by the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, how come women were not allowed full voting rights at the end of WWI?
Why the need for a 1965 Voting Rights Act if overseas military operations somehow secured voting rights?
If a right to vote is protected by the US Armed Forces, what becomes of that right when the US leaves Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc., without a victory?
Thanks for sending The Troops to distant lands to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things. If not for decades of undeclared/unwon wars, (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949) hostile forces may have come to North America to do away with the free enterprise system and tell us what kind of shower head we must install in our home, what type of gas can we must buy for our generator, what type of gas we must place in the can, or that our push mower does not meet federal EPA regulations.
If not for decades of undeclared/unwon wars, drug trafficking cartels might be able to move product into all 50 states.
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduced access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
Has there been enough time for newspeople to ask questions?
Newspeople remain silent.
April 1, 2020 C-SPAN
WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
Both major parties and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
If The Troops defend our freedoms, should we ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff to bring back the Free Enterprise System?
0:20
Probably designed by some bureaucrat that never mowed a yard:
Elementary School Teachers
Some families avoid discussing politics.
What about school teachers? Do they have a part in teaching students about government structure and the honest role of the US Armed Forces?
Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s- veterans were all around- church, school, Boy Scout leaders, family, the neighborhood, etc. It was all just an average thing. These folks weren’t seen as a separate part of American society.
People weren’t stepping over to say “Thanks for your service” to my Dad- who did time in the Navy in the 50s- but looked just like anyone else out in public.
In the 60s & 70s I never attended a Veterans Day assembly at school.
There were none.
Probably enough veterans around to remove most of the mystique, or maybe those veterans thought it was all just an average thing and did not want to be seen as a separate part of American society, or get head of the line parking spots over at the grocery store.
Love to see a student ask: If The Troops fight for your right to sit, stand, kneel, etc.-why were black people still riding at the back of the bus after the big WWII victory?
Love to see a student ask: If the wars aren’t won-how can they protect our freedom?
Love to see a student ask: Whatever happened to lessons about Armistice Day?
As I have mentioned before, I think it is strange that modern American culture sees veterans as separate & different from the rest of society.
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
This would be the time to hear from elected leaders and top generals Re: lessons learned on all the issues that have doomed the Department of Defense track record for winning wars since DOD was established in 1949.
Not here to say that most of what the Dept. of Defense touches turns to crap, but, if DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Federal DEA agents swing into action after federal US Dept. of Homeland Security agents fail to keep 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine from moving past strict post 911/GWOT security protocols at border crossings and ports of entry, then showing up in Norco, California:
If sending US troops to Afghanistan and creating a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was meant to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things, why are drug cartels able to move product into all 50 states?
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Sorry guys- Veterans Day is over for another year. Sorry for the bait & switch on the pharmacy deal. See us in November 2023 for your free meal at participating major restaurant chains. We’ll also offer up some sort of militarized pageantry at major sports events.
Many comments here. The general tone of those is that young people need to get their act together and maybe some sort of mandatory service is in order.
My take:
It feels like the people who run the Pentagon have made a career of undeclared/unwon wars. It is understandable that people would not want to take part in this.
After squandering DOD credibility for decades in distant lands, top generals are now hurting for people to sign up.
Freedoms come and go. None of the above are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.
In addition to freedoms possibly enjoyed by all adults, those who are 18-20 years old are placed in a land of the free holding pattern.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
The family friendly, hometown pride-oriented local small town papers and TV news folks not only shy away from asking questions, they promote urban legends about freedom.
To me, these are the very most interesting people in politics.
Some would say Liz Cheney is an example. Love to see GOP personalities question wasteful and ineffective US Dept of Homeland Security spending during all presidential administrations.
Love to see GOP personalities question wasteful and ineffective US Dept of Defense (nowhere to be found on 911) spending during all presidential administrations.
It feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. It has been this way for decades.
Love to see GOP personalities question why both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
Jimmy Dore
I have no loyalty to one political party or another.
I am attracted to what seems to be the most honest:
June 15, 2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
