Blinking ornament in bomb-proof trashcan causes 90 minute fustercluck at Pentagon

Photo courtesy of
‘Christmas 2008 – My Tree – 12-21-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

I understand being cautious in a world where new plots to assault Metro riders are announced daily (and that’s just by WMATA! *badum ching*) that you have to be cautious in a situation where you figure out that you might well have something a bit hazardous on your hands.  This morning’s incident at Pentagon Metro, that closed the hub station for 90 minutes during the midst of rush hour, is one case where the caution lead to massive amounts of commuting frustration over a battery-operated Christmas ornament.

My question: why the hell did it take so long to figure out that it was a Christmas Ornament? I mean, I get not wanting to put your hand down in there to pull it out and have something go off, but why not just put that bomb-proof trashcan on a dolly and wheel it right out of the station so that life can go on while you figure it out?

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.

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One thought on “Blinking ornament in bomb-proof trashcan causes 90 minute fustercluck at Pentagon

  1. Don’t movies always show that bombs have a tilt or motion sensor so they can tell when they’ve been picked up or moved? I wouldn’t want to be the guy stuck with picking up the trash can to out it on a dolly.