Don Phillips' comment in OCT Trains

[MidlandPacific]

While reading the latest issue of Trains on Saturday, I came across the following remark in Don Phillips' column:

QUOTE: ....the people of the District [of Columbia] are far more important than any other Americans. Right? They certainly seem to feel that way......Perhaps the truth is that the people of Chicago and New York are less fearful than the people of Washington. I said "less fearful," not "brave." The bravery title goes to the people of London, Madrid, Baghdad, and other cities that face attacks with far more bravery than this generation of Americans.

This struck me as offensive at two levels: first, it's a pretty nasty slur on the courage of the people of DC (set aside the non sequitur of the distinction between "less fearful" and "not brave", an attempted distinction that was probably intended to dodge criticism like the kind I'm writing), but more even than that, it's a slam at 'this generation of Americans.' It's particularly ironic that he's publishing remarks of this kind in a magazine whose last editor is working to restore the railways of the Republic of Iraq.

[BaltACD]

I feel Don's remarks are just about right on. The power elite of DC have always felt themselves above the rest of the country. I take the article as a slam against those the don't want to be a real part of the team. To throw in a sports metaphor, DC is the Terrell Owens of US cities.

[MidlandPacific]

Well, there are two separate remarks: one about the city of DC, another about the rest of the US. Do you agree with his remark about "this generation" of Americans?

Of course, there's a distinction between the "power elite" of DC and those of us who just live there, and have a lot less say in how the city is run than you probably do - you can vote for your Senators, after all, and your Congressmen can actually vote on matters before the house. I'm assuming you also live in an area that has two functioning political parties, which would be another distinction the District lacks.

I don't know who Terrell Owens is, so your metaphor is lost on me.

[StillGrande]

Living in the DC area, I do think that there are person who do have a tendency to overreact to any little thing (a guy sitting on a tractor in the middle of the reflecting pool which caused major street closings comes to mind - we will not ask how he managed to drive a tractor into the city in the first place).
His National Airport argument was right on the button (the would be terrorist would have to take over the plane as it taxied to pull this one off). The plane that hit the Pentagon was from Dulles, not National. Yet National was closed for ever (There are 3 major airports within 45 minutes driving time of DC).

There is also a tendency for government officials to overreact more than the public here. This is further magnified by the press. You would think everyone was cowering under a desk here when someone sneezes by some of the reporting.

A London style attack here would probably have a more lasting effect in DC not because people are more frightened here, but rather the press and governement officials would overreact and feed off of one another to build up the story. No one wants to be the one whose name appears in the Washington Post saying they dropped the ball and went with the cheaper solution.

The CSX thing is a prime example. The 100,000 people killed and 1000 dying a minute are IF the train derails DURING the fireworks on the 4th of July, AND the wind is to the north and the car explodes (or whatever) just right and manages to block access to 2 Metro stops and everyone runs towards the accident to see or get to the Metro trains to escape (thus running into the poison cloud). It always drives me crazy when they use the 100,000 people number.

[MidlandPacific]

I think we're essentially in agreement. And I'm not taking issue with the silliness of the National decision (I was traveling a lot for work at the time, and it was a royal pain). But there's an agonizingly long logical leap from "the DC municipal/Federal governments are inefficient/silly" to "the people of the DC area lack courage." And I'm actually less irritated at that portion of the column than I am at the closing shot, which is the suggestion that Americans of this generation lack courage. I don't think that's true, and I don't think it follows from the evidence he presented.

[ajmiller]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rripperger
I don't know who Terrell Owens is, so your metaphor is lost on me.

Terrell Owens is a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team. He signed a big multi-year contract to play for the Eagles last year, and now he's been griping in the sports media about how it's not enough money. The Eagles won't give him more money, trade him to another team or release him, so his choices are to shut up and play for the Eagles, or sit out and not get paid. He's just a typical spoiled, arrogant, big-mouth athelete. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Owens is their best receiver, so if he decides to play badly they will have serious problems.

[JoeKoh]

Dons article in trains hits in on the head.the "what about me " generation.and as far as politicians most are concerned abot their assets.I believe that the more people know about trains the less the terrorists can win.and with new technology if someone sees something out of line in the neighborhood they can call and ask. But more people are concerned about beating that evil train at the crossing so they can get to the store 3 minutes faster.just my opinion.[;)]
stay safe
joe

[RudyRockvilleMD]

Don Phillips’ column in the October Trains was mostly a cheap shot at the Washington, DC region

When Don Phillips discussed the shut down of Washington’s National Airport after September 11, 2001, and the 30 minute in-the-seat rule - since lifted - he said the standard flight paths in and out of Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) also pass near the White House. Wrong! I don’t know when the last time Don Phillips flew out of BWI; but I have flown out of BWI many times to the South and to the West, and the approach and the departure flight paths were nowhere near the White House.

I agree the DC City Council’s law to ban hazmat rail shipments through Washington, DC was a knee jerk reaction to the derailment in Graniteville, SC, but other cities, Baltimore and Cincinnati, to name a few, were also poised to enact the same hazmat rail shipment ban had an appeals court not overturned the DC’s hazmat ban.

Washington, DC wasn’t the only city to have knee jerk reactions.

He conveniently forgets Boston not only shut down North Station, it shut down nearby rapid transit lines, and it instituted random package searches on its subway trains during the week of the Democratic Convention.

New York cordoned off the area around Penn Station during the week of the Republican National Convention, and its police arrested many onlookers who had nothing to do with the demonstrations that went on there. He glosses over or ignores New York City’s Transit Authority’s plan to ban photography of its subways; fortunately cooler heads prevailed and the Transit Authority came to its senses. Both the Mayor of New York City and the Governor of New York State felt such a photography ban wasn’t necessary. New York City also instituted random searches of packages, before boarding the trains, an action that the ACLU is challenging.

Don Phillips glosses over the brouhaha over railroad photography at the Morton Grove Metra Station earlier this year even though Chicago wasn’t even hit by a terrorist attack. Further, he treats NJ Transit’s photography permit policy as if it were a minor matter.

I agree the British are a stoic people having been through a lot including bombings during WW II and bomb threats from Northern Ireland; however, they can come unglued at times. What about the British police who shot an innocent Brazilian citizen after the second bombing simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

The point is the people in the Washington, DC metro area are no more fearful and they don’t consider themselves any more important than people in any other city, but Washington, DC is the seat of our national government.

[Anonymous]

His columns have been getting on my nerves forever. Europe is so much better; we should let our railroads be run by the government, that junk he has been saying. I haven't bought mine yet, but I will, if it is as bad as you say I am writing the letter to the editor of trains and complaining. I have been tempted to do so for a while.

[Anonymous]

The bravery title goes to the people of London, Madrid, Baghdad, and other cities that face attacks with far more bravery than this generation of Americans.

Has he forgotten the hero on the plane that was headed for Washington DC, the brave men who gave their lives to save others. What about the fire fighters during the attack on the World Trade Center? These were Americans. Americans are brave, so are the people of Spain and England. How about are military I know of a friend who after the attack joined the Marines, so he could kick the a$$ of the jerks that did it.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rripperger

While reading the latest issue of Trains on Saturday, I came across the following remark in Don Phillips' column:

QUOTE: ....the people of the District [of Columbia] are far more important than any other Americans. Right? They certainly seem to feel that way......Perhaps the truth is that the people of Chicago and New York are less fearful than the people of Washington. I said "less fearful," not "brave." The bravery title goes to the people of London, Madrid, Baghdad, and other cities that face attacks with far more bravery than this generation of Americans.

This struck me as offensive at two levels: first, it's a pretty nasty slur on the courage of the people of DC (set aside the non sequitur of the distinction between "less fearful" and "not brave", an attempted distinction that was probably intended to dodge criticism like the kind I'm writing), but more even than that, it's a slam at 'this generation of Americans.' It's particularly ironic that he's publishing remarks of this kind in a magazine whose last editor is working to restore the railways of the Republic of Iraq.

I normally like Don Phillips' monthly installments, very much. For some reason, he just tends to look at issues the way I tend to do. So, for better or worse, it is usually "fun" for me to read him...

That said, I wasn't particularly impressed with his article in the oct issue, it left me feeling like it was "filler" that he nay have lashed down for lack of anything else better to talk about.

I do think there was some validity to his argument, however. We Americans are, as a bunch, pretty dog gone ethnocentric. The hardship we suffer is always more important than equivalent suffering abroad (in our minds, anyway) the causes we champion more noble, our ambitions more justified, etc etc...And we can be supporting the most scandalous and corrupt regeims on the face of the planet, and insist what we are doing is the right thing to do because we are americans, we are the good guys, we wear white hats and the villain never wears the white hat...etc etc.

So, what i think Phillips was getting at, is if a situation similar to the london subway broke out here , we'ed be too hung up on the significance of it all, to take it in stride, as the british have seemed to do.

And, I took Phillips' comments pertaining to our insistance of seeing ourselves in the elite perspective, and the Washington bureaucracy's special talent for that kind of thinking, to be prettyt accurate.

Afterall, look at those big evacuation bunkers built at the greenbriar resort in West Virgina just incase WW III breaks out.

They never built anything like that for us here in indiana. We'll just have to melt with the fish if someone nukes us.

So yeah, I think their is a great deal of elitism among the ranks of the Washington "leadership"..they see themselves as being of pre-eminant priority. comepared to the rest of us dumb clod hoppers, anyway.

[swknox]

I think most people are taking it the article the wrong way but if I was Don I think I would have at least worded it a lil different. I think he is right on when he puts DC vs. New York, or Chicago, if that had happened in NY or Chicago most people there would have gotten back to normal after a week or two but if had happend in DC it would have been months. Then comes the Name game, the blame game, finger pointing, and how the administration failed the american people (AGAIN). Anytime I drive across the pond (Cheasapeake Bay) to DC I rather be anyplace else in America just because of the rudeness!!! And people complain about people from New England, I'd even rather be there!

[gabe]

Sorry, if I do not have the time to read and respond to many of your well-thought out suggestions as I would like to.

That having been said, I thought the article was facile. As the antigabe, I mean antigates stated, I normally like Mr. Phillips articles. But, I thought his conclusions about the differences between DCers as compared to others was a bit attenuated.

On the whole, I think people are people. You need a bit more of an argument for me to conclude that different people will react to different tragedies in different ways.

Gabe

P.S. Sorry for the many errors in this statement. I don't have time to edit, and I am not on my ergonmic keyboard. I am sure the antigabe, I mean gates could understand.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe



P.S. Sorry for the many errors in this statement. I don't have time to edit, and I am not on my ergonmic keyboard. I am sure the antigabe, I mean gates could understand.

Hisss booo! Grammar nazi!![:D]

Man, when you start paying me, I'll run a spell shecjker on all my posts, just for you. until then, so solly chalie

[gabe]

Oh, you can do better than that AG.

Gabe

[jimrice4449]

While the crack about an entire generation might have some validity, it, like most sweeping generalities, tends to get a little weatherbeaten when specificity rears its head. Has Mr Phillips forgotten that we are currently engaged in combat operations on two fronts of the War On Terror w/ a military made up entirely of volunteers from that same disparaged generation. After observing the the dispicable pukes of the 60s and 70s (could that, perhaps be Mr. Phillip's generation?) I'm not ready to honor this generation en toto based on the standards of those who've voluteered, but I'll reserve my judgement until, should it prove neccesary, we reinstitute the draft. Then we'll be able to judge if today's American youth are up to the standards set over 200 years or if the misbegotten spawn of the "Greatest Generation" have set a new (LOW) standard.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe

Oh, you can do better than that AG.

Gabe

Well, I'll tell you gabe,, as far as not wanting to conclude that different people will react to different tragedies in different ways. I think you are just kidding yourself i if you are intent upon insisting that a majority of America doesn't see itself as more important than the rest of the world, Face it, we fancy outselves as the straw that stirs the drink.

And, our esteemed leaders and lawmakers tend to favor themselves as the entitled elite.

Remember how Clinton spoke out against the evils of tobacco? How it ruined the lives of the uneducated and ignorant? So, tell me then. What was he doing with a cigar in his possession when a certain intern came a calling? [|)]

[swknox]

YEA BUT CLINTON WAS EDUCATED AND NOT IGNORANT You sure you don't mean BUSH do you - anyone of the two will do... [C):-)] This current Generation is the BEST generation period. How many conflicts have we ended up in since the mid to late 80's. Then look at the technology in front of you... the computer might have been invented in the 50's but the new generation starting in the 80's is what gave us what we have now. I could go on and on but u get the picture. But make no mistake I have the utmost respect for those who fought in WWII and Veitnam who wi***o say they were the greatest generation... They were great and brave.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by swknox

YEA BUT CLINTON WAS EDUCATED AND NOT IGNORANT You sure you don't mean BUSH do you - anyone of the two will do... [C):-)]

heeh heeh, my point was that he felt priviliged to get away with the very things he so staunchly advocated against.

No doubt due to the fact that he felt more educated than the bumpkins he saw falling prey to tobacco, and felt emabled to "get away with it"

Or "elite" would be another word for it..

Just like he felt slick enough to lie about that other thing that got him impeached.

So, elitism seems rampant in the capitol region.

Governementally, they view themselves as omni-important, and would likely see any problems they would experiance as having special significance. just as Don Phillips alludes to.

[Philcal]

I look forward to Don Phillip's monthly column in Trains. I'm a Viet-Nam Era vet who has no problems with the magnificent job this generation is doing in Afganistan and Iraq. I think Don was rightly critical of D.C.'s haz-mat ban. It was a knee-jerk re action to the recent NS wreck. I feel most, if not all of us on this forum are railroaders, or railfans, and we know that railroads SAFELY transport the great majority of haz-mat loads generated nationwide. The real danger I see as we fight the war on terror, is the loss of common sense and good judgement . This loss effects politicians, railroad officials, police officers(I'm a recently retired one) and citizens of all callings.