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No reason to fear low and loud copter, it's just checking radiation levels
By adamg on Thu, 04/12/2018 - 9:28am
We're coming up on the Marathon, and that means it's time for the National Nuclear Security Administration's annual check of background radiation levels along the Marathon route, you know, just in case something happens and they have need to compare odd readings to those background levels.
Boston Police report the silver-and-blue chopper will be flying low (like 150 feet in the air) and, so, loud, between today and Sunday.
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Why would anyone fear that?
Why would anyone fear that?
Maybe "fear" was the wrong word
But every time a helicopter flies around here, it seems, people ask me about it, so think of this as a bit of preemptive copter news.
The same reason why people
The same reason why people fear unattended bags....
150ft is reasonable cause for
150ft is reasonable cause for concern. It's rarely a sign of good things.
You wouldn't want to see your house on CNN either. Follow-up questions would be in order. Same principle.
Having copters buzz my house
is terrifying. The building shakes and it's really really (painfully) loud.
It's all incredibly annoying security theater; it does NOT make me feel safer.
Security theater is not meant to make you feel safer
It is meant to make you feel scared: to remind you that the world is full of boogeymen looking to harm you, and that only a well funded and unfettered security state can keep you safe.
Didn't they write the number down last year?
Or has there been a big change in the city's radioactivity since then?
Its done every year before
Its done every year before the marathon. They compare the year to year readings to create a baseline data set. Then on race day they can tell if there is any radiation spikes outside of the baseline readings.