After travelling some 4,700 Kilometers from BC to Gettysburg, I spent about the five days there before heading south about another 140 km's to the national capitol at Washington DC (A on right map above,)  to continue my research. I set up camp, if you will, at a wonderful hotel in Bethesda Maryland (B on right map above). This was much cheaper than in the DC area and only about another dozen km's by underground subway to most of where I needed to go over the next 10 days.

The hotel operated a shuttle that drove its clients to the closest subway stop of the METRO line, which was about a mile away. It also picked people up at regular hours of the day to transport back to the hotel.

When I was first dropped off and walked over to the entrance of the subway I certainly had to take a step back. I was not expecting to see a hole in the ground, or should I say a large tube measuring about 40 ft in all directions except down. That seemed to be about five floors lower. It was massive and looked like I was about to go into an underground bunker. But nevertheless I boarded the escalator and took the ride... taking what seemed to be  several minutes to get to the bottom. ( I read on the net that the escalator belt is apparently the longest in use in all of the US.)  And even then, you had to go down some stairs yet another level to get to the actual train platform.  The image on the right was what greeted you on the return trip. All you could see was the sky above and it gave me the initial image of eventually having to step off a space ship when I finally got to the top. 

Before you get to the entrance gate that led to the train platforms you had to buy a ticket. It is automated. You feed money, in my case $5.00, and it spits out a card with that amount stored into the card some how. If you lose the ticket on route, you are in serious trouble as you can not get out of the system till you feed that same card into a machine at the other end. It determines where you got on, how much you owe, how much is on your card, (it charges by distance and time of the day,) and then subtracts that amount and spits out your card with whatever is still left on it.

One the first day I missed my stop. I carefully calculated how much I needed one way, paid that amount and missed the stop. Someone showed me how to cross over to the others side and back track one stop on the next train and then get off. They of course did not tell me that the ride back one stop would cost me another fare. Upon arrival I fed my ticket into the machine, it was ejected and the gate would not open. An operator standing by told me that I owed more money and to go and pay it at yet another machine and then insert the ticket to exit. They get you coming and going. hehe.

The left image above is a current ticket for the METRO. You can see the amount of $5 loaded onto the pass on entry and an amount of .30 left after exit from the subway system.

But it did not always cost $5.00 to ride the subway. The Mole only charged 3 cents and probably took you to anyone on the 87 stops it made along the way. It was called the MOLE as the critter was known to burrow through the ground and every now an again pop its head up to see what was going on. Note the MOLE had 87 stops and today's system has only 86.

The mole operated in DC way back in the 1860's and used air pressure to hurl the train along a tube. Escalators were unheard of in those days and folks had to climb down very long and I suspect dangerous circular staircases to get down to the train or back up again. Folks did not like the fact that as a train entered to station the blow back from the hurtling train in the tube knocked everyone's hats off. Soon it fell into disuse, the owner went bankrupt and returned to Europe. Parts of the tunnel still exists today and entrepreneurs take folks on tours of the parts still accessible. A most interesting site on the net talks about the old system and I've borrowed the images on the right from that site. Check it out at...    http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-31/local/38170964_1_metro-station-subway-system-joe-kerr

Parking a car in downtown DC is not only expensive, it is VERY difficult to find metered spaces. One day I spent over 1/2 hour looking and eventually simply drove back to Bethesda,  I was so upset. I then returned on the Metro. Another day I had to go for a few minutes to the Canadian Embassy and yet again it took almost 1/2 hour to find a spot. Then I realized that I did not have enough coins. A meter lady came along riding one of these contraptions... a Segway. And believe it or not, she even helped out by contributing about 50 cents towards the meter's need for food. (coins)  She probably felt sorry for me. 

The folks on these Segways, are actually on a guided tour by the licensed  guide in yellow, and about to enter the Gettysburg National Cemetery. But I also saw a similar group doing tours around the most impressive Naval Memorial located right across the road from the National Archives in DC and which I will be discussing in another blog.

As in all large cities, there are the stories and tragedy and the homeless. DC is no exception. But I was surprised to so many sitting on the sidewalks of downtown and leaning against the wall with their hands out for spare change. Even more upsetting, One morning when I was heading off to the archives I saw what I thought was a pile of cardboard. The nest day, taking the same route and at about the same time, at the same location I saw this fellow on the left, above, folding up his house to start another day.  How sad!

The fellow on the right was laying on a medal grill. I think warm air comes up from the subway system below and keeps this fellow warm. Two and one half hours later I walked by this same spot and the fellow was still there. More upsetting, within two car lengths, parked at the side of the road was a police car... with lights flashing. Nothing apparently unusual for downtown DC. They are parked with flashing lights at just about every corner... or second corner for blocks on end. All occupied by officers who seem to be doing little other than watching what was going on around them.  A cruiser was beside this fellow laying down when first observed by me and the same or another cruiser was on the same spot later and seemed to care less about this fellow laying there.

Much more in a few days.

Bart

I am trying to sort out over 800 photos and many pages of notes to line up about 4 blogs on the rest of my rip to the US. I had anticipated having a blog for today, but  will not because of much in the way of catch up and sorting. I expect the next blog will be done on Friday. Sorry for the delay folks. 

The first day after my arrival  I awoke to a cheery day and full of excitement about all the things that I wanted to see and do.

My primary goals were to attend the unveiling of the new memorial to the living Medal of Honor recipients, meet a few and get some photos and autographs,  get lots of pictures of the grave markers for the brave Canadians who earned Medals of Honor and other Canadians who are buried in either Arlington or Gettysburg and do some major research of these individuals at both locations.

But destiny had other plans for me I guess.

On that first day when I stepped out into the streets of Gettysburg I looked right across the road at one of the entrances to the Gettysburg National Cemetery. My view focused on the very large mast and the American flag flying proudly. However it was at half mast. I was told it was in honour of those killed and injured in the horrible incident just a few days earlier at the naval dockyard at Washington DC. A man known to suffer with mental issues was on contract to do work on the base. His had been previously checked and he was known to have fired shots in the past but, if the news is correct,  the results of those checks were not passed up the line, and so his clearance to enter the highly sensitive area was not affected. Nor was the fact that he just happened to be carrying a sawed of shotgun, detected, as he went through security. Eight were apparently killed and another dozen injured. And thus the flag at half mast.

(In contrast, a few years back and well after the 911 disaster, I was challenged at a northern BC airport because within my carry on luggage was a shaving kit. With it was a nail file. I was not allowed to return to Victoria with the nail file. Though they did kindly offer me the opportunity to mail it to someone if I chose. When I noted it travalled with me to the north, apparently the  return trip was not allowed.)

LET'S NOW JUMP FORWARD TWO WEEKS.

I did some of my work in Gettysburg, went to DC to do my work and came back to Gettysburg yesterday to finish work here and will be heading off to Harrisburg tomorrow for my return flight home.

But I can not do my work here. It involves museums and parks run by the federal government who have shut down. Millions are literally affected. These last four have been almost a complete wipe out for me as far as research goes. Just thought I'd  note that. Thanks US Government. Please be sure to tell me where to send my bill.

But let's get back to that flag pole and coming full circle. Today you can see the flag pole but it is now behind a secured gate that prevents descendants, the public and tourist to visit this historic site. A million people come to this town of about 2,500 every year to see the history all around them. But now the town will no doubt take a massive hit on revenues because of the federal government's inability to sort itself out. Millions of others who work for government are unemployed. And who knows how many, who's duties are considered essential services, are  still forced to work... they just don't know if... or when they will get paid. No doubt their mortgage holders and there grocery store will just say... OK, don't worry, just pay whenever. 

There is a second reason why I feel I have come  full circle. A few weeks back the fellow with mental illness made news with the shootings above noted. At Gettysburg the fallen were recognized with the flag lowered.

But yesterday, as you have no doubt hear in the news, a woman was shot by police in Washington DC. Rumblings are that she may have also had mental illness issues. But this unarmed woman was shot, no doubt multiple times and the flag is at full mast. Hmmmm!

Folks I was there yesterday and stood on the very spot where part of this event took place less than two hours before it unravelled.

Those of you who know me also know that I am a former police officer. When I saw that shooting on the news it sent the same chills up my spine that I got from seeing the numerous shooting You Tube  videos taken of the Toronto youth who was shot in a streetcar about a month back. He had a knife but was alone of the streetcar. The police shot him three times, if memory is correct and then for good luck fired another six at him. Then just to make sure, they tasered him. 

It seems that many of the same questions there need to be raised here.

Americans ought to take note that the Toronto police officer has now been charged with murder.

At the time of the DC shooting, the woman had attempted to drive her small compact car through a road block outside the White House. Apparently in the process an officer was injured as her failed attempt resulted in her racing off from the scene, down almost 20 city blocks and ending up at the Congress buildings. There she raced back and forth along one side of the buildings with the police is hot pursuit in numerous cruisers. At lone point the vehicle was in a stationary position and demands for her to get out to face several officers with weapons pointing at her resulted in her backing out of the situation and  racing off again back and forth until again coming to a rest along side of the road. Then one or more officers fired into the car, probably not realizing at the time that there was a lone one year  old baby also in  the car they were shooting into. She then stumbled out and tried to run away. They continued shooting, I guess in her back, rather than chasing her. Throughout the whole ordeal apparently at least ten shots were fired by the police. Who knows how many hit her but she was killed. The baby was OK, and according to the news was rescued by the very people who killed her mother...a woman who by all accounts so far... was unarmed.

News of the tragedy  was wide spread in short order. Someone in the Congress took the floor to express our gratitude to the capital police.  Chiefs of at least three police agencies followed suit in public statements praising the heroics of the police who apparently performed so well. All within hours of the shooting, and before such wonderful performance has not been determined by an independent investigation that would hopefully seek details of the event, rather than protecting the status quo of all involved.

Something is very wrong with what happened in DC. Those charged with getting to the bottom of the incident ought not to focus on the apparent authority to use this amount of power when the woman had... as her weapon... a car, but ought to focus on why the car was simply not taken away from her. How many shots were fired at the wheel while the vehicle was stationary. Absence of comment in the media might suggest NONE. How many of the dozens of PD cars on site were used to block the car so that it was no longer move in any direction, and thus, useless as a weapon. Media coverage suggests one though dozens were in the immediate vicinity.

In my visit to DC I could not help but notice that on MOST CORNERS in the downtown area sat one OR MORE cruisers with the red lights flashing even though the officer inside seemed to be doing nothing but observing what was going on around him or her.  Why could they not have been brought into play to help cordon the offending vehicle off.

Ending the life of this woman was not the only solution... just the quickest and easiest. Where were the tasers and the rubber bullets and the tear gas... and the common sense?

Where was there ANY EVIDENCE of attempts to DE-ESCALATE by using any of the above or other tools. None that I can see. They ought to have blocked the car and backed off to allow cooler heads to taker over instead of using her for target practice.

What a tragedy!

And to think that as this unfolds, we in Canada are celebrating are first week  of Womens History Month.

Bart