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Congress Suggests Moat, Electronic Fence To Protect White House
PolygamousRanchKid writes Acting Secret Service director Joseph Clancy on Wednesday faced a number of tough questions from the House Judiciary Committee about the fence jumper who made it deep into the White House. But along with the tough questions, Clancy fielded a couple eyebrow raising suggestions on how to better protect the president's home. "Would a moat, water six feet around, be kind of attractive and effective?" Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., asked with trepidation. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, asked: “Would you be in favor of removing the fence around the White House and having, maybe, a virtual or electronic fence around it?” Clancy liked the moat idea better than the electric fence. “My knee-jerk reaction to that would be no, sir,” he told Gohmert. “Partly because of the number of tourists that come up Pennsylvania Avenue and come up to that area.”
Why not just ring the White House with a fucking minefield?
I write sci-fi for metalheads
Just need this.
(BTW, I thought for several years that particular episode was the best thing ever on television to that point, until I realized it was blatant rip-off -- excuse me, homage -- of 2001.)
The moat would need to be heated to keep the alligators happy. Actually, mag-locks on the doors that get engaged on reports of someone on the grounds would cost a lot less.
...is a fearless tourist's lazy river ride.
.
Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
Or theyâ(TM)ll want a higher fence. Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they want alligators in the moat! They'll never be satisfied, and I understand that. That's politics. But the truth is the measures we've put in place are getting results."
â" President Obama in El Paso, TX
This moat needs sharks with lasers attached to their heads!!
I for one welcome our new neo-feudalist overlords.
So you think summary execution is the appropriate punishment for simple trespass?
Install some trip wires to make you fall into the bushes and that is that.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
This sounds more and more like the typical lion/tiger/man-eating beast enclosure at the zoo - a high fence and a moat.
Just stick signs up on the fence saying "Do NOT feed the POTUS!" and "The POTUS in its natural habitat", perfect!
How 'bout a lasergrid fence? A 10 kW carbon dioxide laser should do the job nicely.
Jefferson used to complain about the long line of people at the White House who were there to see him - most of them looking for a job hand-out, but some with legitimate issues for him to deal with.
Perhaps Congress could start by dissolving the enivronment that has caused so many people to want to do antisocial things like harming a President, who is mostly supposed to be a CEO of the government, and occasionally lead a defensive war against the country.
Oh, nm, that's just crazy-talk. Might as well fill the moat with hunter-killer boats from Lockheed.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
So you think summary execution is the appropriate punishment for simple trespass?
If you can't do the time don't do the crime.
(ps to the humour impaired, this is a joke, not a troll)
SJW n. One who posts facts.
I suppose it makes sense, with laws painting us all as virtually terrorists.
That said, I like Punji stake pits as an idea. Or high-tension trampolines that snap-release and launch plumetters back into the air. Hook it to a live web-stream.
Perhaps Congress could start by dissolving the enivronment that has caused so many people to want to do antisocial things
Between 2000 and now there have been 14 "intruders" at the White House. Only one of which actually broke into the building. These intruders include a toddler who squeezed through the fence and a couple who crashed a Sate dinner. That is an average of less than one per year who had antisocial intent. From a population of 360 million less than one per year is not many.
This poor guy was simply looking for work in order to be able to support his family back home. All he wanted was a better life.. I'm sure he's a hardworking, industrious, salt of the earth type... the type who made this country great!
Amnesty, a drivers license, and a green card folks. That's what this man needs, not a prison term.
Shoot one or two of the fence jumpers. The frequency of fence jumping will drop to almost nothing. Then, when some knucklehead does jump the fence you'll know it's a genuine threat and you may open fire on that one as well.
Bullets are cheaper than moats and cyber fence thingies.
If Obama were consistent, he'd let the people who illegally jump the White House fence live in the White House.
Seriously, a news for nerds site can't get the word electronic correct in a article headline? Amazing editing going on there, Slashdot.
Seriously if the politicians are so afraid of "the masses" then maybe they should start actually representing those masses like they're supposed to.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Can someone explain to me how a virtual fence could do anything? Is Congress going to pass a law saying everyone has to wear a collar at all times? This sounds like someone trying to create more pork.
So when did these august Congresscritters aquire expertise in installation security? I have no opinion on whether a moats would be a good or bad idea, but surely the Congressmen have no idea either.
They got it right. Eletronic refers to the new state of the art robotic elephants. They look a bit like Chisulo in body armor, but with more electricity and less biology.
Personal security everywhere has a few conflicting objectives.
- Protect the person from physical threats
- Do not appear intimidating to the general public
- React quickly to perceived threats
- Do not overreact to perceived threats
Sure you could put a concrete wall around the White House and shoot anyone who climbed over but that would be very bad.
This incident has been blown way out of proportion. Lets look at what really happened.
1. I guy jumps a fence.
2. He runs across the lawn. He was seen at this point and an alarm was triggered (the problem is that the alarm was muted for some reason)
3. He enters an unlocked door (Which would have been locked had the alarm sounded).
4. He runs past a startled security guard (The one who would have locked the door if the alarm had sounded).
5. He runs up the stairs and across a long room.
6. He is tackled by a counterassault agent.
The only people he encountered were security personnel and he did not damage anything and harmed no one.
Lets look at what contributed to the incident.
1. He was not shot as he had no visible weapons.
2. The door to remain unlocked because the alarm was muted. The article claims that is was muted on the orders of the Usher's office
3. The President was in the process of leaving the building. During movement security is concentrated around the president as that is when he is most vulnerable. That left the front lawn less protected as there was less there to protect.
How to fix the issue?
1. Never mute the alarms
2. Connect the front door lock to the alarm so it locks when the alarm goes off.
Those are simple solutions to a small problem.
Mr Gonzalez is a Iraq War veteran with mental health issue. Though he had a knife on him he never brandished it and no one knew of it's existence until he was arrested. What do you think the comments would have been if it turned out that an unarmed Iraq War veteran with PTSD was shot dead while trying to enter the White House? So the Secret Service has to choose between being damned for letting someone into an an empty area of the White House or damned for shooting an unarmed Iraq War veteran with PTSD. You choose.
What next? Will the President fart in our general direction?
Do what the Brits do: create some fun and fanciful traditional-like uniform for the guards, and post 2 guards near the front gate, 2 near the front door, and one on each corner of the building.
Maybe something like this:
http://www.halloweencostumes.c...
(Without the boyish face, though.)
Table-ized A.I.
I love this quote from this article;
“I worry about her whole approach,” said Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, who is the chairman of a subcommittee that on Monday scheduled a hearing on the incident for next week. “I do question the director’s leadership. This is a place where we can never, ever make a mistake.”
This just shows how little Representative Jason Chaffetz actually knows about personal security. Security Agents are human and will make mistakes. Security systems are designed to take that into consideration by designing security in layers. One or more layers may be breached due to mistakes but unless the person being secured is harmed then the system worked. Lets look at what happened.
1. He climbed the fence. While a security layer it is designed to deter entry not prevent entry. Layer worked as designed.
2. He ran across the lawn and was seen by a security agent who sounded the alarm. Security layer worked as designed.
3. He opened the door. Layer failed due to alarm being muted.
4. He ran past startled security guard. Layer failed due to alarm being muted.
5. He ran up some stairs and was tackled by counter assault agent. Security layer successful.
There were probably a few more security layers between that point and the President. The only mistakes I see are the alarm being muted and the door not being automatically locked by the alarm. Would you rather have snipers shooting anyone who climbs over the fence?
So in your mind, the relationship between the Secret Service and the general public should be modeled on how the US military responds to an invading army?
There you go again, being rational and insightful.
But you're also a dreamer. They (all politicians from any party) are not going to quit being assholes, and they're certainly not going to stop lying and cheating - that's how they got in office to begin with!
While we're on the subject of fences and moats for the White House, could a moat or a fence stop a drone launched from a garage a few miles away? Or a hundred drones loaded with explosives?
Bottom line is that if one of our enemies wants to do something to us and they want it bad enough, they'll come up with a way to do it.
Oh, BTW, we citizens are not the enemy even though our own government views us as such.
I think you are on to something here....non-lethal and entertaining. Helps keeps the president safe and is good fun in the process.
Perhaps the moat is something to build inside the White-house fence, but then fill it with balls, and you have the national ball pit. We could mount automatic sentry turrets on the fence that are armed with Nerf ammo, with the idea that anyone trying to jump the fence will get hit with a barrage of Nerf darts as a warning.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
That is why they need the moat - somewhere for the sharks to live in!
I live in Tucson, Arizona. We have one air-force base and one army national guard base. Both have a moat around them and a fence on both sides of the moat, and a bridge to the inspection station.
Here's a picture of the bridge over the moat.
Note the lack of water. Tucson, Arizona. It's a dry heat.
If it's good enough for military bases, it's good enough for the President. Also Congress. And if they continue to perform so well in representing us, they can be forced to swim it.
E
Just move the president to Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. No more fanciful than what passes for leadership inside the White House.
We should also have armed guards on the outside with orders to shoot anyone who tries to exit the White House grounds. Only then will we be safe.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
So in your mind, the relationship between the Secret Service and the general public should be modeled on how the US military responds to an invading army?
Sounds good to me. Why continue with the illusion that American government is "of the people, by the people, for the people." It's not. Why continue the illusion it is?
I was going to bitch about Slashdot editor qualifications, but yes, I do believe robotic elephants would be a suitable solution and will thus let the title stand. Long live our Eletronic guards! P.S. I love snarky Slashdot posters! That's why I come here folks! It's all about the snark.
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!
What is this thread doing on /. anyway? Maybe is was the idea of an Eletronic fence, but why here?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Postlady: When did you get a pool?
Lois: Oh, it's a moat. I know it's silly but my husband thinks our family needs extra protection now that we're rich.
Postlady: Does it work?
Lois: Well... it does keep the Black Knight at bay.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
This is Slashdot, so new we are rewarded with a litany of "look how stupid congress is" stories.
The fact is, the conversation is clearly brainstorming, more of a signal that lateral thinking was welcome, as the secret service clearly hasn't thought if anything effective.
-Styopa
The closest English-speaking nation to the USA is the UK,
Kanuckistanis don't speak English any more?
Or has Canada been merged with the US while I wasn't looking?
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
and immediately thought "Yeah, with sharks with fucking lasers mounted on their heads." ::Doctor_Evil_Laugh::
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
oh, you didn't spot the Grenadier Guard at the gates and patrolling the perimeter of Buckingham Palace 24/7, then? You know the ones, they're wondering around with fucking SA-80 rifles. There's the Household Cavalry just up the Mall there, too - 2400 men on horseback with some fucking big guns mounted on wagons. They have Royal Marines around Windsor Castle, and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards around Balmoral. They are all very visible, but you don't see all of them unless you really look - at which point, you become a person of interest to them. At any point of the day or night, at any time of the year, the heaviest concentration of small arms and artilliery fire in the world can be concentrated at any one spot in a thirty square mile area immediately around Buckingham Palace in less than fifteen minutes.
Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
I think pouring boiling oil from the roof would be effective. I mean would you try to make a run for it knowing that they would not just stop you but actually try to pour boiling oil on you? hell no.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Can this virtual fence has virtual razor wire and sniper towers?
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
In tech, we solve single-point-of-failure issues with redundancy.
You guys should have not one, but several reserve presidents, and a few reserve headquarters, and if one of them gets blown up, just don't make it a big deal.
That sounds like sarcasm, but really, it's not. Just framed a bit tongue-in-cheek. But how often do you hear members of the senate being targets of assassination attempts? The senate is as important as the president, but thanks to using a highly distributed system with extreme redundancy, they are far less interesting targets.
But I guess we as human beings still have minds from 50,000 years ago and we want to see a leader to our tribe. The concept of shared leadership is brilliant, but too advanced for our stone-age brains.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Shoot one or two of the fence jumpers. The frequency of fence jumping will drop to almost nothing.
It already is almost nothing - 99.8% of days, nobody jumps the fence. If you exclude a few ridiculous cases (that small child, for example), it goes to 99.9% -- as everyone who's ever worked on SLAs knows, beyond that the cost of additional nines is quite dramatic.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
This is a relatively unimportant subject, and also a non-political one. Any Congressman caught talking about this, is outed as a totally useless person.
But you repeat yourself. With apologies to Mark Twain.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
Fantastic. Solve 21st century USA security problem with medieval British know-how.
But please, for everyone's sake, put in a drawbridge and portcullis? And defend it with archers and fiery balls of hay?
Awesome.
All the suicide nut-cases will start to mount that fence.
Also, it wouldn't take long before the first "innocent bystander" would be hit by a ricocheting bullet or a shrapnel.
Windows 2000 - from the guys who brought us edlin
So we should provide the security through fear of summary execution without trial or due process?
Stupid troll is stupid.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
No, if he were consistent he would throw them back over the fence in higher numbers than any of his predecessors.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
He's not advocating tyranny, he's pointing out that the government is already tyrannical, and thus doesn't understand why they try to pretend they're not.
Hence the repetitious use of the word, "illusion."
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
You and I may have a different definition of "simple trespass". A simple trespass is wandering around the woods and ending up on a farm. Storming the White House is.. Well I had always assumed it was a sure-fire way to get shot to be honest.
So we should provide the security through fear of summary execution without trial or due process?
Don't we already do that with drones?
There's already toddlers squeezing through the fence ... perhaps Rep. Gohmert's intent is "cull the herd" by having a moat.
It is going to be like virtual fence for your dog. Everyone gets shock collars. Anyone who crosses the line is shocked. Also no barking.
Those now legalized illegals will be replaced with new illegals to occupy the jobs the no longer illegals can no longer legally work.
"Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
Will the moat have a drawbridge and flaming buckets of oil to drop on visitors too? Maybe a torture chamber in the Whorehouse basement for parties.
Immigration? Seriously? Puh-lease, go cry to the Native Americans already. How about those "annexed" Hawaiians who then had their land filled up with "immigrants" from the USA until a large enough number of them had moved in to vote for statehood. You worried that's what South Americans might do to your little paradise too? Turnabout's a bitch. Suck it up.
The Knights Hospitalers (I think, could have been Templars) had a fortress that was never conquered. Attackers would be bottlenecked, relative to defenders, were forever being harassed on the flanks and faced numerous blind corners.
Simply build a reproduction of this fortress around the White House. They can build a moat around it, if they like. Ringed by an electric fence. Oh, the moat needs sharks with lasers. Any suggestion for shark species?
The great thing about this is that the White House can remain a tourist attraction. Everyone loves castles, and taking blindfolded and handcuffed tourists through the maze of twisty little passages (all alike) would surely be a massive draw. BDSM is big business these days.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Wasn't that done in User Friendly?
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
But they gotta fill the fucker with gators and poe-ranna and flying fucking sharks. Also make the water poison, and electrified.
"If you love someone, set them free. If they come home, set them on fire." - George Carlin
Would that be with or without Alligators?
If they make to the Oval Office, they get to join the cabinet!
Invenio via vel creo
To keep the zombies out during next year's fema disaster of course.
Sadly, a Libertarian cannot force his views on another, and freedom cannot spread as does the cancer known as religion.
"and having, maybe, a virtual or electronic fence around it?" Does anyone have any idea what he meant by a virtual fence? Should we take down the one that's there and just pretend like there's a fence there?
A moat is excessively expensive, really unnecessary, an eyesore, and is still not going to really stop or hinder a marine who is determined. Furthermore, the White House is supposed to be a place where people from the public can indeed come; it's not supposed to be a castle or an ivory tower. It should only be fort knox during those times when the president is home.
As for ensuring the president's security; I suggest an additional wider perimeter with a triple-layer fence, with all vehicles and persons required to be searched/checked for weapons etc, and restrict access to all nearby buildings as well.
There should be multiple 24x7 "spotters" high up when the president is in the vicinity, and video analytics, scoping the entire grounds outside for potential intruders and sounding an alarm.
There should be additional locks on the doors and teargas traps which can be activated remotely during an attempted breakin.
No, the drones are disrupting terrorist organizations by killing their leaders and technical experts. If the terrorists are afraid of that then it is mainly a side benefit.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
...would be to stop p*ssing that many people off. Congress hasn't done a thing for the past two years and the President isn't fairing much better. If government and Congress would start doing their jobs rather than having one side suggest something and the other side only saying "No" to everything much less people would be motivated to run past guards busy updating their FB status. After all, positions like these are intentionally called "public office". We already have enough secrecy and walling in in DC.