The man then volunteered that he had more weapons, directing officers to his parked truck opposite the Treasury Department on the far side of the White House complex. Officers found an SKS assault rifle in plain view on the front seat, Mackin said. Also in the truck, which had Idaho plates registered to the man, were a rifle with scope, a handgun, a Kevlar helmet and a bulletproof vest.

— AP
It’s always comforting to read about shit like this after I walked right by there at lunch time. And within half a block on my way to work this morning.
The sad thing is that the world is so fucked up right now, this story didn’t even make local news.
When I left work, I was almos feeling guilty about not going to the National Christmas Tree lighting.
On a good year, there is a crowd of a couple hundred people standing in the cold, waiting for 2 hours, jockeying for position to peek through the fences, trailers, bleachers, and crowds.
I’ve done that twice.
This year, the entire street was cordoned off all afternoon leading up to the event. No backpacks allowed. People being searched before approaching the field.
It just weren’t worth it.
Like so many other things in Federal City lately, everything is focused on the television audience. Camera operators are VIPs and politicians are reading scripts.
Does anybody remember anymore that you needn’t be a politician to be elected to office?