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Thursday, September 20, 2007

This is just fucked up
Posted by Jill | 6:04 AM
One of the ways the Bush Administration was able to whip Americans into a fear frenzy after 9/11 was to release warnings of terrorists targeting "soft targets" like shopping malls and schools. It of course hasn't helped that incidents like the Virginia Tech shooting have fed these fears. But in a society in which parents outfit their kids in suits of armor before they allow them to ride a bicycle to a friend's house, there's nothing like terrorist threats against a school to tap into their worst fears.

Despite the strong, arguably strong-arm, influence of the local Democratic Party in Bergen County, and its relatively moderate social views, the county had enough casualties in the 9/11 attacks to make its residents sensitive to the possibility of terrorism hitting close to home. Not sensitive enough to go for George W. Bush in 2004, when John Kerry took 51.88% of the county's votes (after all, it IS a county of relatively educated people), but being a bedroom community for New York City gives us a certain sensitivity to the risk.

In this context, the fact that 10 area high schools are closed today because of a bomb threat yesterday doesn't even seem that much like an overreaction:

A bomb threat addressed to the mayor of Emerson set in motion a wave of school closings in 10 northern Bergen County towns that will keep more than 12,000 students out of class today.

School officials in Emerson closed the district's three schools and dismissed about 1,200 students shortly after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, when they were told that an anonymous letter had arrived at Borough Hall. The letter warned that the borough's school buildings and two others in neighboring towns would be "blown out" at 11:30 a.m. today.

Because the other schools were not identified, Emerson police notified surrounding departments, officials said. Administrators in Oradell, River Edge, Closter, Demarest, Haworth, Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan followed Emerson's lead, suspending classes on Thursday as a precaution.

School officials also canceled today's classes at the Northern Valley Regional high schools in Demarest and Old Tappan, and River Dell Regional High School. In addition, administrators at some nearby private schools -- including Assumption Academy in Emerson and Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell -- decided to close today.

Carol Dray, the Emerson borough clerk, opened the letter Wednesday, Saudino said. The letter, addressed to Emerson Mayor Lou Lamatina, arrived in a small envelope with what appeared to be a computer-printed address pasted on the front, authorities said. The note inside also appeared to be computer-generated, and was pasted on a blank piece of paper.

"All three schools will be blown out on Thursday, Sept. 20th at 11:30 a.m., with two other schools in near by [sic] towns," the letter said.

The "20" was in much smaller type than the rest of the message, Saudino said, adding the note was sent to the Bergen County Sheriff's Office for forensic examination.


What's interesting is that two school districts -- Westwood Regional and Paramus -- both of which are within a few miles of Emerson, are keeping their high schools open today (though how many students will actually attend remains to be seen). It's also interesting that no one seems to be thinking "OH MY GOD IT'S AL-QAEDA!" -- for all that just about everyone in the county knows someone who either lost someone or has a friend or relative who lost someone in the 9/11 attacks. I think it's because the communities within commuting distance of Manhattan have the same fatalistic attitude that New Yorkers have -- we can't do anything about the risk, so what will happen will happen. We just don't have the luxury of living in obsessive fear, and because we tend towards liberalism, we don't want to give up our freedom for the illusion of security.

In all likelihood, the bomb threat is a prank by kids. But in the face of the recent rash of discoveries of tainted soil at local schools and the furor that generated, I can't fault school officials for preferring to err on the side of caution. Even if it's awfully convenient that it means the kids get a day off when it's expected to be 75 degrees and sunny in late September.
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