Soldiers Defend Yourselves

Doctor, Heal Thyself:

If you are a servicemember commuting to Washington, D.C., don't forget to do your best to hide it:

Dept of Transportation Federal Transit Administration sends:
Recently, there have been local incidents in which military personnel have been verbally assaulted while commuting on the Metro. Uniformed members have been approached by individuals expressing themselves as anti-government, shouting anti-war sentiments, and using racial slurs against minorities.

In one instance, a member was followed onto the platform by an individual who continued to berate her as she exited the
metro station. Thus far, these incidents have occurred in the vicinity of the Reagan National Airport and Eisenhower Ave metro stations on the yellow line, however, military members should be vigilant and aware of their surroundings at all times while in mass transit.

...Here are a few friendly reminders of personal protective measures that can help you to stay safe:

- If possible, do not commute in uniform (military members)

-Do not display DoD building passes, "hot cards", or personal identification in open view outside of the workplace

-Do not discuss specifics about your occupation to outside solicitors

-Always try to remain in well lit, well populated train cars if traveling via metro

-Be vigilant at all times!

Here's an alternative idea. All citizens of the United States of America retain the power to arrest lawbreakers, including those guilty of assault -- which includes things like spitting on people. The Department of Transportation shouldn't be the active authority here. The Department of Defense should instruct its members to be sure to wear their uniforms in public, and perform citizens' arrests on anyone assaulting them.

I suspect they'd find plenty of help among the citizens of Northern Virginia.

It is important that we stand up to these barbarians-from-within. Servicemembers in uniform represent us all. Rather than letting them be driven out of sight by the barbarians, they -- and we -- are the ones who should be asserting control of the public space. They are America. We are America.