Bush fire in Mainz

[Junesun]

Not to start a huge political discussion, but... I find it ridiculous how many precautions are taken for Bush's 6-hour visit to Mainz this Wednesday. I'll list those that I know of:

- the CIA has been in town for the past 3 weeks
- gullies are soldered shut
- large parts of the highway network around Mainz are going to be closed to the public (it's not sure yet whether Bush will drive to Mainz or take a helicopter)
- trains going via Mainz are going to be stopped
- many companies around Mainz won't be able to do regular work because their out-of-town employees will be very late due to traffic jams on the closed highways or won't be able to enter the town at all
- all schools in Mainz are going to be closed
- shops along the possible routes of president Bush are asked to stay closed on that day, otherwise policemen will make sure nobody enters the shops
- the owner of a tombstone-shop has to move his exhibit stones away, so that no terrorist Goliath can throw them at Bush
- demonstrators are going to be led to far-off areas of town, and they have been forbidden to carry large posters
- the city is desperately looking to acquire more American flags to ornament the city and make Bush feel more welcome - so far they haven't been able to find many, I assume the demonstrators have bought all the flags in order to be able to do a little temperature test

I wonder: is it looking similar in Brussels and Bratislava?

[SekoETC]

There must be many people who'd be ready to assasinate the president would it be made easier so precautions are needed. But of course that's a bit too much.

[Sarah]

Wow, a lot of the same things happened when President Bush visited here in Topeka, Kansas to commemorate the anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education (which outlawed segregation in schools), but it wasn't quite that extreme. The courthouse he was speaking at is in the worst part of town, so the city did some extensive temporary cleaning up.

[wichita]

I remember Wichita, Kansas got a bit crazy too back when President Clinton came for a visit. I could only imagine that things would be even more intense on foreign soil. Didn't the Chileans show some incredibly strict security a few months ago when they wouldn't even allow the Secret Service detail to follow President Bush. Almost started a fight between the guards I think.

[kroner]

yeah, nyc allways gets ****ed whenever the president visits. it's kind of ridiculous when you consider that he operates in washington dc all the time with out having to be so cautious.

but i think seko's right. there're probably a lot more people in europe who wouldn't mind seeing bush gone, although i would imagine they might be less extreme about it since they don't have to live under his rule...

[Nick]

When G.W. Bush came to Halifax, he was only here for 1-2 hours, yet he had a huge security setup that I won't even bother listing.

[Nick]

there're probably a lot more people in europe who wouldn't mind seeing bush gone, although i would imagine they might be less extreme about it since they don't have to live under his rule...

*laughs until he wipes a tear from under one of his eyes*
Good one... not like Bush is imposing, or anything...

[GoyoBoyo]

It always is like that with the prez, more so after 9/11 I'm afraid. I live in D.C., and you should have seen what the town was like for the Inaguration last month. Silly. D.C. Police State! I suppose. Saw a woman at the Pentagon Metro station get detained for wearing an army jacket. And we live in the 'land of the free'...

[kroner]

there're probably a lot more people in europe who wouldn't mind seeing bush gone, although i would imagine they might be less extreme about it since they don't have to live under his rule...

*laughs until he wipes a tear from under one of his eyes*
Good one... not like Bush is imposing, or anything...

oy.

i'm more affected by his policies than you. you know it's true.

[formerly known as hf]

There's an article about this in today's Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1423866,00.html

[Junesun]

Thanks for the article, Farmer. They just got the airport figures wrong: not 34 flights were cancelled but 80. That would also mean that more than 2300 passengers were inconvenienced, the figure is probably more like 6000. And that does not include the people whose flights were delayed for several hours but not cancelled. Lufthansa is going to sue for damages. Guess who'll have to pay for that, along with the expenses for all security measures? - The German taxpayers, none of which got the chance to send Bush a message.

[Jetlag]

Someone once said that the Queen of England must think the whole world smells of fresh paint.

It sounds like Bush gets a similarly distorted view of the world. Is it any wonder he doesn't seem to have a clue what everyone else in the real world thinks or feels about him, or any other subject?

For contrast, Tony Blair came to visit my local hospital a couple of years ago. The security consisted of shutting off certain doors, and a large group of people staying with him at all times. My Dad even accidentally ended up inside the cordoned off area, because someone forgot about that door!

I'm not convinced Blair has any *better* insight into the real world, but it does show that maybe going quite that far over the top with security just isn't necessary?

[Where are all the monkeys]

The thing that really annoys me about this sort of thing is that they only do this because he is the president.I'm willing to bet that if they had information that some random joe bloggs was to be assasinated, they wouldn't do anything near so much, even if they knew for definite that there was going to be an attempt.What makes the life of an (and here's where I admit I dont like Bush much) incompetent and largly unpopuler man worth more than the life of you or I?

[AoM]

Yes, Bush is unpopular (except in red states, where he's a hero). Yes, he certainly didn't get my vote. But he's the President of the United States, and if some idiot shoots him, you know more sh*t is going hit the fan than ever before. It's silly to think that precautions like this for a person in that important a position shouldn't be taken.

Consider the inconvenience and traffic jams as a karmic payoff to make sure that Cheney never becomes president.

~AoM

[mortaine]

I think George W. Bush sniffing fresh paint all the time explains so very much....