Military helicopters flying over my neighborhood RIGHT NOW

[HamdenRice]

I am working at home today, and just saw three military helicopters flying low over my neighborhood.

I assume it is because I live near the Long Island RR, and the "terror alert level" has been raised for mass transit. In fact, everyday, the LIRR flies its civilian copters two or three times down the line, presumably some sort of inspection or traffic info gathering.

But just now, instead of the LIRR copters, there were three military copters, flying low, in formation, following the tracks out to eastern Long Island. They are much, much louder than the civilian kind.

This is not a tin foil hat, paranoia post. It's just that I remember living here in NY in the wake of 9/11 and seeing how fast the city was militarized. I lived in Brooklyn then.

9/12 was in a way a lot scarier than 9/11. On 9/11 we were shephearded out of Manhattan by our own, familiar NY police force, fire department, EMS and other public servants, but over night the military had taken over.

On the morning of 9/12, I walked two blocks over to one of the main thoroughfares in Brooklyn, Atlantic Ave., which had been completely closed down, and at each intersection, way out into that outerborough, there were troops armed with automatic weapons. Over the next months, we got used to soldiers, presumably National Guard, with M16s, fingers on the triggers, at every major subway station, way out into the outer boroughs. At that time, the National Guard guys and gals, however, were mostly local, primarily civilian kids, younger cops and firemen and a few ex-Army guys, used to making a few extra bucks by going camping (training) a few times a month, called up during this emergency to create a deterent military presence. They were chatty and grateful if you thanked them or offered them a cup of coffee.

If it were to happen today, the National Guard members, however, would be battle hardened and perhaps even traumatized fighting troops. I wonder whether the effect on the civilian atmosphere of the city would be different. I know one NG member back from Iraq, and he seems to be OK, but he is very, very pessimistic about the mission over there.

I lived in South Africa under apartheid, and worked in other African countries and in China, and one of the biggest differences in atmosphere between those countries and the US used to be how demilitarized America has always been compared to the rest of the world.

Sadly, this has come to an end, and I fear a permanent military presence in my home town, dear little old New York. I wonder whether "they" are slowly conditioning us to a permanent military presence in our major cities.

[Squatch]

1. I thought you said this was not a tin-foil hat post?

"I wonder whether "they" are slowly conditioning us to a permanent military presence in our major cities."

Could it be that the plant where a lot of military helicopters are made is right across the LI Sound in Stratford, CT?

[HamdenRice]

3. Tin foil hat would be ...

that the London bombing was not the work of terrorists, but of Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani mixing fertilizer bombs in the basement of Buckingham Palace.

The idea that the administration would like us to get used to a permanent military presence is a question about policy, not about conspiracy theory.

As for the helicopter route, no, they were not coming from Long Island Sound. They are flying directly over exactly the LIRR Hempstead branck that the LIRR flies over thrice daily.

[acmejack]

2. I am the same way.

you put it perfectly, the first time I saw armed soldiers in public places overseas, I was so grateful I lived in America. The first time I saw the soldiers at public places here, I realized how far we had fallen. It simply no longer was the place I once knew.

[whatever4]

4. Just like they've been saying all along

If we change our way of life, the terrorists have won. No matter how you slice it, it's true. The only disagreement is over who the terrorists are.