Graffiti Artists Put Their Mark On War Against Terrorism

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | Friday, January 23, 2004 | ROBERT BLOCK

[presidio9]

WASHINGTON -- At 2 a.m. on a wet Wednesday last month, a graffiti artist who calls himself Serk was in a railroad tunnel not far from the Washington Monument, spray-painting his tag on the wall in bright blue, orange and magenta. On the adjacent tracks, less than 10 yards away, a train hauling toxic chemicals rolled by.

[presidio9]

Why in God's name is this trash on The Wall Street Journal's front page?

[arly]

Serk????? a graffitti artist??????.... I agree what is happening to the WSJ?...

[GigaDittos]

Are yall just missing the point? It's not about the Writers, but about a vulnerability discovered through them.

[presidio9]

Are yall just missing the point? It's not about the Writers, but about a vulnerability discovered through them.

"The bill is backed by a coalition of scientists and environmentalists, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth."

In my experience, when Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth start publically worrying about a perceived terrorist threat, they are co-opting irrational fears in favor of some seperate leftist agenda. They are doing the same thing with NY's Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.

Yeah, graffiti "ateests" are deeply concerned about the welfare of their fellow man...

[Stone Mountain]

In my experience, when Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth start publically worrying about a perceived terrorist threat, they are co-opting irrational fears in favor of some seperate leftist agenda. They are doing the same thing with NY's Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Yeah, graffiti "ateests" are deeply concerned about the welfare of their fellow man...

So in your opinion, trains carrying hundreds of tons of chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen fluoride and hydrochloric and phosphoric acids running unguarded near heavily populated areas isn't a problem because some lefists were the first ones to point it out?

[presidio9]

So in your opinion, trains carrying hundreds of tons of chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen fluoride and hydrochloric and phosphoric acids running unguarded near heavily populated areas isn't a problem because some lefists were the first ones to point it out?

I am saying:

(a) What qualifies vandals to identify the cargo of each individual train they see passing?
(b) Why would CSX or The Department of Homeland Security be motivated to reveal their security plans to vandals and Greenpeace?
(c) Do you think it would be feasible/practical to have an armed guard accompany every shipment of hazardous materials?

[mr.pink]

It's not about the Writers, but about a vulnerability discovered through them.

I agree. But it is fair to be wondering why the WSJ would shout out such vulnerabilities on it's front page.

[Stone Mountain]

(a) What qualifies vandals to identify the cargo of each individual train they see passing?

From the article: "Under federal law, tank cars of toxic chemicals that travel by rail and road must be labeled so that in an accident, emergency crews know what they are dealing with. "

(b) Why would CSX or The Department of Homeland Security be motivated to reveal their security plans to vandals and Greenpeace?

They aren't. If you think that despite the access that the graffiti artists and reporters have to these trains, that security is sufficient, and that there is some secret way they have of letting people get right next to the trains but prevent them from sabotaging them, I guess I don't have an answer to that. However, it certainly sounds to me from the article that security isn't sufficient. If that kind of access doesn't bother you and you have faith in our government that these systems are safe, then I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

(c) Do you think it would be feasible/practical to have an armed guard accompany every shipment of hazardous materials?

No. But it's clear that more security measures could be taken. Have those broken fences where Serk & co. break in to the train areas fixed. The train district needs to clean up graffiti immediately like the rest of the city so that graffiti artists are deterred. There are clearly a lot of measures that could be taken short of an armed guard on every shipment that would make things safer.

From the article:

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes that the easiest place for terrorists to lay their hands on quantities of toxic chemicals sufficient to kill and maim thousands is a rail tanker. "It is far easier to attack a rail car full of toxic industrial chemicals than it is to compromise the security of a military base and obtain these materials," Troy Morgan, an FBI expert on weapons of mass destruction, told a chemical-security conference in Philadelphia sponsored by the American Chemistry Council last summer."

Another leftist alarmist?

[kaktuskid]

Why is graffiti boy trespassing on private property, which almost all RRs are? Where are the RR police?

Hazardous materials have been shipped by rail for years. and by truck. and by pipeline...without guards or police.

[Stone Mountain]

But it is fair to be wondering why the WSJ would shout out such vulnerabilities on it's front page.

Becuase that's what newspapers are supposed to do? Publicize mistakes so that they can get corrected. If the WSJ spikes this story for "security" reasons and an attack is made on one of those trains, then the WSJ would get even greater criticism for not reporting on a story that could have motivated corrective measures. I'd rather find out about vulnerabilities like this through the WSJ than in the aftermath of a terrorist attack...

[presidio9]

No. But it's clear that more security measures could be taken. Have those broken fences where Serk & co. break in to the train areas fixed. The train district needs to clean up graffiti immediately like the rest of the city so that graffiti artists are deterred. There are clearly a lot of measures that could be taken short of an armed guard on every shipment that would make things safer.

Now you're just being naive. Governments have been doing everything in their power to fight graffiti vandals for 20 years now, and it has gotten them nowhere. Do I think hazardous shipments should be ignored? No. Is the article alarmist in the steps that it suggests be taken? Of course. If and when terrorists want to strike here, they will. Once they are motivated and in this country, we can not protect everything.

[Stone Mountain]

Hazardous materials have been shipped by rail for years. and by truck. and by pipeline...without guards or police.

Yes, and people flew in airlines for decades without anyone flying them into buildings intentionally. You don't think there is any problem with what was reported at all?

[Stone Mountain]

Now you're just being naive. Governments have been doing everything in their power to fight graffiti vandals for 20 years now, and it has gotten them nowhere

From the article: "Serk and his friends paint almost exclusively along the railways because it is one of the few places in Washington that don't get "buffed" or rubbed out by the city's two "graffiti buster" cleaning trucks. The tracks belong to the railroad, and the district has no jurisdiction to go in and clean them up. And keeping your painting up for all to see is what the game is all about."

Graffiti eradication projects work. I live in downtown Oakland and there is almost no graffiti in my neighborhood. Do a search on graffiti eradication programs and then see how "naive" I am. I've seen it work.

Do I think hazardous shipments should be ignored? No. Is the article alarmist in the steps that it suggests be taken? Of course.

The only steps I saw recommended were in the last paragraph:

"three members of Washington's 13-member city council -- one Democrat and two Republicans -- on Oct. 21 introduced the local bill. It would require transporters of hazardous materials to seek a permit from the city for hazardous materials shipments that would be granted only if there is no possible alternative route."

That sounds alarmist to you? Sounds reasonable to me...

[mr.pink]

Becuase that's what newspapers are supposed to do? Publicize mistakes so that they can get corrected. If the WSJ spikes this story for "security" reasons and an attack is made on one of those trains, then the WSJ would get even greater criticism for not reporting on a story that could have motivated corrective measures.

I never said I was in favor of "spiking" the story.

What I did say was that I think it's fair to wonder whether it should have been on the fontpage.

BTW- I fully agree that this problem needs to be addressed, and I also agree that running this story helps give that process a kick in the rear.

[Stone Mountain]

Fair enough - I wasn't sure from your first post...

[mr.pink]

No problem.

About a week after 9-11, the NY Daily news ran an article detailing a 1960s gov test on what would happen in an antrax/bio attack on the NYC subway system.

It was strange to read as half of me was riveted by the details of how the motions of trains moving through the tunnels would spread the poison over impressive distances,...the other half of me wondered whether it was a wise thing to print at that time.

[Modernman]

Why in God's name is this trash on The Wall Street Journal's front page?

Graffiti-boy does have a point. If he can get that close to trains carrying poison through DC, it's a problem.

The messenger isn't great, but the message is scary.

[Modernman]

But it is fair to be wondering why the WSJ would shout out such vulnerabilities on it's front page.

If graffiti artists can figure it out, so can terrorists. Maybe this article will force government to pay attention to this issue.

[mr.pink]

I agreed to as much....I merely wondered if the front page was the most responsible spot for it.

[weegee]

At 2 a.m. on a wet Wednesday last month, a graffiti artist who calls himself Serk was in a railroad tunnel not far from the Washington Monument, spray-painting his tag on the wall in bright blue, orange and magenta. On the adjacent tracks, less than 10 yards away, a train hauling toxic chemicals rolled by.

(A) He's a vandal, not an "artist". If he were hired or at least sought the property owner's permission, then he would be a mural artist. He's a criminal, and only that.

(B) That spray paint can he's using has toxic chemicals in it too. So much so that many "graffiti artists" wear protective masks over their mouths so they don't breath in all of the harmful fumes. I wonder how their left-wing environwacko pals feel about what they are doing to the environment.

[weegee]

The bill is backed by a coalition of scientists and environmentalists, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Its origins date back to a few months after 9/11, when Rick Hind, legislative director of Greenpeace's Toxics Campaign, started asking various federal agencies what was being done about the shipments of dangerous chemicals through the nation's capital. More than 1.7 million carloads of dangerous substances move annually on freight trains across the U.S. through hundreds of towns and cities. About 28% of these pass through Washington en route to factories and chemical plants north and south of the capital.

The chemicals have to be moved. The socialist environmentalists may a have problem with "chemicals" in general, but they should be focusing efforts on the production end and safe handling/destruction of these elements.

A disco or pizza parlor is no safer place in Israel than a government office building just because of the "target". If terrorists want to strike, they will strike.

Charles Bishra stole a plane in Florida and crashed it into a bank. The DC sniper duo struck commercial businesses in the suburbs.

Just because a toxic chemical cargo train or truck passes through Cincinatti, rather than DC doesn't mean that it still couldn't be a target. Poison the Mississippi? DC is just an office space. Terrorists can strike anywhere.

Sounds like the real issue may be "I don't want that in MY backyard".

[weegee]

The tunnel system may be different, but such an attack has already happened (in the 1990s) in Japan. Terrorists already have a "real world" case to study.

[mr.pink]

The tunnel system may be different, but such an attack has already happened (in the 1990s) in Japan. Terrorists already have a "real world" case to study.

This will sound harsh, but the attack in Japan was nothing compared to what the simlulated attack showed as possible.

Here is how it went:...as best as I remember

A lightbulb filled with trackable placebo powder (representing anthrax), was dropped at street level onto a subway station ventilation grate.

Within about five trains passing through the station where it was dropped, the powder had traveled at high levels over twenty blocks. Within a few more trains thirty blocks...and so on.

I'll let you do the math on numbers of people that would be exposed to deadly levels of anthrax, as well as realize how diferent that scenario would be from the horrible attack in the Japan subway.