The End Of Access

WASHINGTON -- The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is a watershed event in many ways, some of which we cannot yet know, but one of the clearest and simplest is this: Congress and its members are about to be permanently quarantined, physically isolated, from the people it and they represent.

Thirty years ago, there was no such thing as security on Capitol Hill or for members. Members of the public were free to roam the halls, and police presence was practically invisible. There were no barricades around the grounds, and even the leadership rarely had any form of protection.

The Hill was the very model of the People's Place -- and in that respect it was an inspirational symbol of our democracy.

Congress began to close in on itself in 1983. A bomb explosion outside the Senate chamber engendered the installation of magnatometers; in 1998 a gunman shot two Capitol Police in an attack in the House. The result was a system of careful monitoring of all visitors and the extension of police protection to all members of the leadership. The 9/11 attacks led to the erection of barricades and new defense perimeters around the grounds; new inspection procedures were initiated after an anthrax attack in 2003 on the offices of then-Democratic leader Tom Daschle's office.

The construction of a new Visitor Center now means that the public can only enter through a secure facility and can only walk the halls in tour groups.

New even more restrictive rules are now inevitable. It's even possible that the general public will be banned from the hallways of the Capitol Complex, at least at certain times and under certain circumstances.

As for personal protection, that is likely to be increased substantially. For the last year or two, some House members and senators have had unpublicized but substantial security details dispatched to their side when deemed warranted.

The Huffington Post has learned that one Democratic senator had a special security detail detailed to him for two weeks after concerns were raised about personal threats.

But rather than have extensive details for each member, the members are likely to change their behavior -- which means they will stay behind closed doors here in DC and in their home districts and states.

Following the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday the U.S. Capitol Police issued the following statement and guidance to lawmakers:

"Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities in Arizona are investigating a shooting in Tucson, Arizona in which Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot. Multiple others were shot as well. Congresswoman Giffords has been transported to a local medical facility with serious injuries. The suspect is in custody. No further details on the motive or other victims are available at this time."

"The U.S. Capitol Police are directly involved in this investigation. As more information is developed, it will be provided. In the interim, all Members and staff are advised to take reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal security."

Comments

[MuddyPolitics]

09:46 PM on 01/16/2011

I don't see what the big deal it. Constituents must go through metal detectors in order to see their Congress members? Some kids have to go through metal detectors to get to class. If you're not an ill-intentioned weirdo, what's no problem with increased security? If Congress isn't considering TSA machines, what's the fuss?

In the early days of the Patriot Act, a wise old (staunchly conservative) man once told me that if you're not doing anything wrong, who cares if the government is watching.

[Bon1042]

07:11 PM on 01/10/2011

The night of Friday, November 22, 1963, Chet Huntley made a statement that parallels exactly with the VERY brave remarks of this sheriff. This man showed more courage than anyone in the media or even politician­­­s have ever shown.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Chet Huntley was the other half of the Huntley/Br­­­inkley NBC Nightly News in '50's and '60's. In that grainy black/whit­­­e film I found quote on google, comparing Huntley's response to the more controlled if visibly emotional, Walter Cronkhite: quote below

Huntley, while almost as well controlled­­­, met the situation with righteous indignatio­­­n. At one point Friday he talked bitterly of "pockets of hatred in our country and places where the disease is encouraged­­­. You have heard," he said, "those who say, 'Those Kennedys ought to be shot

I WISH NBC would dig into it's archives and pull Chet Huntley's prescient remarks out and show it over and over again. Maybe then the lie of "fair and balanced" remarks would be exposed. In the last few months, MSNBC has done a pretty good job at highlighti­ng the "false equivalenc­y" lie of labelling the "extreme" left as EQUIVALENT to the hatred of the right and "hate" radio.

This is why liberal "talk" radio never did and never will succeed. Hate radio is reactionar­y as the whole movement on the extreme right. IT IS NOT RADICAL, which goes to achieving progressiv­e, positive ROOT change. Word radical is fm the Latin for ROOT.”

[OldHick]

01:16 PM on 01/10/2011

They might hide in shame for the manner in which they have led the country - or choose to drop their special real estate deals and loans, and come out into the light of day. They might consider protecting the country for a change, after all they are supposedly there to represent us.

[Iceman11]

07:56 AM on 01/10/2011

I disagree. One of the Senators from Minnesota in fact is calling for an open meeting with constituents just to show that we CANNOT let this happen.

[Cacey]

07:13 AM on 01/10/2011

Frankly, since the Tea Party called for active and loudly vocal disruption of Congressional Town Meetings over a year ago, I've been surprised that any Congressperson would meet openly with their constituants.  This may be the first "victory" that the Baggers will claim in their attempts to destroy America as we know it.  This is a victory we, as Americans, cannot let stand.

[Dennis Bohner]

11:49 PM on 01/09/2011

Until the entire story is known (Someone mentioned Kennedy) why is this more hideous than a drive by shooting? At least the victim and assassin had some connection and the resultant cause, no matter how stupid, for this murder attempt and 'collateral damage' are vaguely understandable.

Please note when we kill an entire community of nomads by accident in the hinterlands of the world, we, through our military, often are the drive (fly) by killers.
Is this less an act of premeditated murder?
Lennon said that the TPTB have no responses other than murder and intimidation at their disposal for replies to their opposition. Why would lesser crazies not learn this lesson and employ similar means to gain their ends?
What slayed me, metaphorically, was the issue being raised of the internet being a root cause.
How about injustice, poverty, insane monetary policies, corporate control of ALL means of public expression and the willingness of the politicians to lay before their masters instead of standing up for us.
This may have something to do with the non-benign comments here.

[BlacknProud310]

05:28 AM on 01/10/2011

The man gets a Star! Faved and Fanned for your comments Sir. Well Said!

[Bon1042]

10:07 PM on 01/09/2011

Howard, PLEASE talk to your peers at MSNBC and suggest they ask parent company NBC to dig into archives and retrieve the live ongoing coverage of the assassination of President Kennedy. I'm pretty sure it was early Friday evening, November 22, as Chet Huntley and and another reporter who were on air. Chet Huntley made a brave statement that directly parallels the VERY brave remarks of the sheriff on air late yesterday afternoon at the press conference.

Chet Huntley spoke of an atmosphere of hatred in American culture. The woman who trained me in my secretariatl job at the VA Center where I worked in Maine said "I think Oswald did the country a favor. You know as well as I that after JFK was elected the right wing started to build the machinery of their political movement. My own father (tho he loved Kennedy, but didn't vote for him bec he was 6 yrs younger) was getting the newsletter of The John Birch Society.

I really think it might serve to urge some of the mainstream media to muster the courage to finally address the truth. The right is going to bring up Bill Ayers and THAT one aspect of the true spirit of the 1960's. Unfortunately last night, although I don't think it was his true intention, Gene Robinson lumped the anti war violence of '60's with the rabid extreme right wing hatred and violence that has been exsating since hate radio started in late '80's early 90's.

[Olderandwiser55]

11:35 PM on 01/09/2011

Is this it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55PYQbu2iXs

[Olderandwiser55]

11:36 PM on 01/09/2011

Check around 6 minutes

[tnkeating]

09:53 PM on 01/09/2011

This doesn't change anything and shouldn't change anything, but I'm sure a lot more Reps and Senators will be packin heat.......

As they should....

[fredric williams]

09:41 PM on 01/09/2011

The illusion that politician­s represent any specific group of people is promoted only by politician­s and their co-conspir­ators. Representa­tive democracy is not democracy -- it is a form of oligarchy. As a sometimes resident of Ms. Giffords' district, I never voted for her and she never acted in accordance with my wishes. So to describe her as "my" representa­tive would be nonsense -- her Republican predecesso­r similarly lacked my vote.

Holders of political office represent themselves and earn their positions by relying on people who vote blindly for one party, by promising favors to some people who will vote for them or give them money to buy votes. When candidates spend nearly $4 million to get 49% of the vote (about $30 a vote), at best they can be said to represent $30 worth of interest for those who supported them. Two-thirds of Arizona adults don't vote, so Ms. Giffords was chosen by 1 of 6 adults -- the other 5 -- the vast majority -- are not represente­d in any way by this government­.

Their are growing numbers of people who recognize that Government is their oppressor, not their friend. They are following the words of Proudhon: “Whoever lays his hand on me to govern me is a usurper and a tyrant: I declare him my enemy.” Whether this is an isolated incident or the first shot in a war, we do not know.

[Bon1042]

10:48 PM on 01/09/2011

fredric.... you definitely have MY vote !! Great all encompassing statement of truth to power !!

[popart]

04:34 AM on 01/10/2011

this is a sad point of view...some credit needs to be given to those who have and who continue to serve to make america a better place for us all...are you looking out a window or looking in a mirror? you are too harsh in your judgement and unfair by dumping all politicians in the same basket. yours is an additude that encoutages anarchy....not just sad but dangerous.

[jmhoffm]

09:14 PM on 01/09/2011

Uhm, maybe if people didn't have access to guns - they wouldn't be able to wantonly shoot congressmen or anyone else for that matter. Where is the talk of restricting gun ownership?

[GreenPowerMan]

09:30 PM on 01/09/2011

Bad guys always get guns. Where is the talk of making it illegal to shoot someone in the face? Oh wait. That's already illegal. I guess bad guys don't follow those laws either. On the other hand, there was a good guy at the scene who came running out of the pharmacy to help. He had a gun, but at that time, he had the good judgment that most gun owners have-- to not draw his weapon because they were able to wrestle the guy down between loads, and because he didn't want to scare people on the scene when it wasn't necessary.

[fromdnorth]

09:12 PM on 01/09/2011

Unless there is an attack on the CAUSE of this type of violence: Tolerance of Hate filled language by the media, disrespect for the President because he is Black, excessive weight given to the right wing rich and arrests of domestic militia units, this kind of violence will persist.

When a Supreme Court Judge suggests that in the Constitution the rights of women are subservient to other rights and days later a right wing terrorist kills a female representative (but ironically is foiled by another female) then the US must be regarded as unworthy of serious consideration in important matters...

The patients have taken over the asylum or another way, the mighty whale has been beached by a tiny virus...

[GreenPowerMan]

09:01 PM on 01/09/2011

From here on in, we go back to buying access. Or, you can have a naked picture taken of you by one of those airport security machines.

[RRB09]

08:49 PM on 01/09/2011

How convenient....They don't want to meet with the great unwashed anyway so now they have an excuse.

[freedom4allau]

08:34 PM on 01/09/2011

If this stops access to our elected officials, then the crazies have won and the rest of us have lost - - - more than one can ever imagine.

[rongway1]

08:59 PM on 01/09/2011

Then step up to the plate and put an end to all the political correctness and you will have your America back again!!!!!

[freedom4allau]

11:03 AM on 01/10/2011

And exactly how has political correctness taken away the country? Is giving people equal rights political correctness? Is working to stop bullying political correctness? I'm sorry rongway1 but your comment makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and has no bearing on having back "your" america. This IS my America - love it or hate it, it is.

[hmmmmm]

08:01 PM on 01/09/2011

democracy in America is dying a slow, painful death. America is being consumed with hatred, greed, bitterness and poverty. God save us all.

[ElBruce]

03:43 AM on 01/10/2011

That's precisely what the right-wingers want. It is the clear consequence of their stated intentions. They are literally trying to destroy America.