-- -Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana. Stranger things have - -happened but none stranger than this. Does your driver's license say Organ -Donor?Black holes are where God divided by zero. Listen to me! We are all- -individuals! What if this weren't a hypothetical question? [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 10:48:55 -0700 From: glen mccready <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Dummy guards US base in Britian Resent-Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 10:49:07 -0700 (PDT) Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Forwarded-by: William Knowles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001352224,00.html By JOHN KAY Chief Reporter Oct 12, 2001 A VITAL US air base in Britain is being guarded by a plastic DUMMY. The mannequin kitted out in combat gear gazes out of an otherwise deserted gatehouse at the hi-tech communications centre. Astonishingly, commanders believe the clearly fake guard will deter terrorists from sneaking in. Following the September 11 atrocities, the base is SUPPOSED to be on C for Charlie alert an extremely high security status just one grade below all-out attack. It is almost certainly playing a key role in co-ordinating USAF raids on targets in Afghanistan. Yet a stunned Sun reader spotted the dummy on guard duty as he drove past. He declared: I was staggered. It was clearly visible from the main road and wasnt even very realistic. If the US Air Force are so careless about security in Britain how can they hope to secure their own nation and keep their people safe? I am sure the British forces would never use dummies as guards. They have learned the hard way to take security seriously after 30 years guarding against the IRA. The six-square-mile USAF base at Croughton, Northants, is home to the 1,000 personnel of 422nd squadron and their families. It is dotted with huge aerials and satellite dishes that would make a tempting target to terror gangs. The bases policy, set out in a vision statement, proudly boasts it is striving to be the premier provider of global communication services while fostering a close-knit community based on quality of life, mutual respect, and camaraderie. Spokesman Sergeant Art Webb admitted the base was using a dummy as a deterrent because: We are under a lot of pressure right now. He said the gate being guarded by the dummy was currently closed because of roadworks. He said: We believe the base is secure. There are other security devices at the gate which I cant talk about with you. But within 20 minutes of The Sun contacting the base about the dummy it had been replaced by a real guard. [ To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body "unsubscribe man-bytes-dog" (the subject is ignored).]
