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Doing their part Eyes Open, Ears OpenBy Rick Horowitz
Vigilant Vern's got the TV on. He's got the radio tuned to one of the all-news stations. He's got his computer checking the headlines every eight minutes, just in case. He wouldn't want to miss anything. Vigilant Vern is down in the basement right now, but he's got the very same setup upstairs in the den: another TV, another radio (actually, two radios), another computer. When he's down in the basement, he feels a little more protected. When he's up in the den, he feels a little more observant. He's got windows upstairs, and with his new, high-power, army-surplus binoculars, he can see for blocks in every direction. Not that he knows what he's looking for. Not that that stops him -- it's time to head upstairs. "Did he say anything?" This would be Vigilant Vickie, Vigilant Vern's longtime spouse and model-citizen soulmate. Vigilant Vickie is on her way down the stairs as Vigilant Vern is on his way up. She's got the cell phone on her utility belt, and the digital videocam (the new one, with the ultra-zoom lens) dangling from her neck. Vigilant Vern pecks her on the cheek and continues his climb. "Another alert," he says. "Nothing specific." "I'll be right up." Vigilant Vern watches all the briefings -- the military ones as well as the domestic ones, though he realizes he can't offer much help on the military side. Sometimes he prints out the transcripts on his computer and underlines the important parts. Other times, he just scribbles the key words on an old legal pad. He's got the legal pad with him as he reaches the den. "Add your eyes and your ears to our efforts" -- those are some of the words he's written down this time. Also "any suspicious activity or behavior." Gov. Ridge wants everyone to be particularly attentive over the next few weeks. His intelligence people have been picking up indications of new terrorist threats, he says. There are plenty of religious holidays on the calendar this month, he reminds everyone, including the final days of Ramadan. Terrorists, he says, have attempted other plots during Ramadan before. They may be planning something this time, too. Vigilant Vern cranks the Vigilometer up to 20, and the sound of clicking shutters from the window-mounted camera emplacements becomes more frequent, more insistent. Outside the house, rooftop spotlights begin to glow and pivot. "That seem about right to you?" Vigilant Vern asks over his shoulder. (Vigilant Vickie has joined him, carrying a plate of sliced fruit and a box of Triscuits.) "I thought maybe 19 would be enough, but -- " "Better at 20." "That's what I thought. Considering everything." And there's so much to consider, Vigilant Vern thinks to himself. Bad enough that all these holidays are coming right on top of one another, but then you've also got all this fighting between Israel and the Palestinians, which always makes things tense. Plus you've got the way the war in Afghanistan is going. It's going great -- the Taliban's getting clobbered, and we think we're closing in on bin Laden, but isn't that when he's most likely to try something desperate? And what about these new reports that bin Laden might be closer than anyone imagined to coming up with one of those "dirty bombs" filled with radiation? Wouldn't that be a kick in the head? Vigilant Vern adjusts his binoculars. He looks out one window, then another, then a third. If he ever came across a dirty bomb, he tells himself, he'd call the authorities in a second. He wouldn't hesitate a bit. He'd feel better, though, if he had any idea what a dirty bomb looks like. Or, for that matter, what "suspicious activity or behavior" looks like. Or... Vigilant Vern glances at Vigilant Vickie. Then he moves toward the dial on the wall. "I'm thinking maybe 22." Posted 12/4/01. Rick
is always on the alert for the hottest topics -- that's how he can bring
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Rick Horowitz
