Signs of the Times - July 2016 - (Page 12)

Te c h no lo gy U p date By Darek Johnson Darek Johnson is ST's Senior Technology Editor/ Analyst. Email him at darek.johnson@ stmediagroup.com Back to Biden Vice President Joseph Biden sees new side of West Point visitors. "It is quite natural to think of the self as something concrete, but it is, in fact, nothing of the sort." - Neel Burton, "Hide and Seek: The Psychology of Self-Deception" O n Saturday, May 21, my kid graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point and became a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. I say this in part to brag, but also to introduce a humorous story that accompanied the graduation ceremony where Vice President Joe Biden addressed the graduating cadets and their families and friends. West Point lies some 50 miles north of New York City, in the Hudson River highlands at the eastern edge of the Catskill Mountains. Originally strengthened by George Washington in 1778 as a Revolutionary War fortress to forestall invading British ships, President Thomas Jefferson, in 1802, established the West Point site as a military college. Today, it's known as a premier leaderdevelopment school and is ranked among America's top universities. President Obama spoke to the graduating class in May 2014; General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did so in 2015; this year, it was Biden's turn. Graduation day Civilian parking at West Point is limited, and those of us attending the various graduation ceremonies parked in outlying areas and boarded shuttle buses to access the numerous events. However, on the day Biden spoke, I arranged to park within a mile of Michie Stadium and my wife, and I elected to bypass the shuttle and walk to the stadium, 12 SIGNS OF THE TIMES July 2016 as did many other parents and visitors. Halfway up a tree-lined roadway, a young military policeman halted the walkers and announced that, for security reasons, we had to stop and wait until the vice president's motorcade passed by. Our group of parents and visitors, a small part of the several thousand people attending that day, were OK with the delay, but then the freshman soldier sounded another order, one that caused a loud buzz to pass through our crowd. He said we must face away from the motorcade as it passed. Turn our backs to the vice president? "Why?" a cadet mother asked. "For security reasons," the young soldier said. Quietly, to nearby parents, the mother said, "I won't do it. I won't be humiliated by turning my back on the vice president - who does he think he is?" However, 10 minutes later, when the motorcade passed by, she turned her back. The motorcade was visually striking. And fast. It zoomed by at some 50 mph in the steep 25-mph zone. Leading were two militarypolice Humvees, followed by a pair of gleaming Secret Service Suburbans (with darkly tinted windows and red and blue lights flashing), followed by the VP's glossy black limousine, a Lincoln with medium-tint windows. You could see him in the back seat, bordered by men in dark suits. Next came two more black SUV's, another camouflage-painted Humvee and a full-size ambulance with red lights flashing. Don't ask me how I know all this. Both annoyed and curious about the order, I later telephoned the USMA military police headquarters and asked who had established the "turn-your-back" policy. A sergeant suggested I call the USMA public affairs office. I did. I identified myself and said I wanted to know why I wasn't permitted to face the vice president as his motorcade passed by. Nicely, but specifically, I asked, "Whose policy is this?" Sweet people, the USMA Public Affairs staff - they said, "What?" They had never heard of such a practice and promised to check on it and call back. Within the hour, the public affairs office returned my call. With as much official appropriateness as she could, the spokesperson explained that the young military policeman had confused the order. He was to turn his back on the motorcade, so he could watch the viewing crowd as they faced the vice president. I laughed out loud. Imagine the vice president's view: some 75 citizens - West Point graduate's parents and friends - with their backs turned to his passing motorcade. I'm sure all the other visitor groups faced him and cheerfully acknowledged his presence. Biden tends to be outspoken. Imagine his comments upon seeing our group's backsides. Imagine, also, the afterwards conversation at the Military Police post when the commander learned the Pfc. had ordered some 75 citizens to turn their backs on the vice president's motorcade. Ouch. The blame game Was it really the young soldier's goof? In a tight analysis, one would investigate the bounding circumstances because, surely,

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - July 2016

Signs of the Times - July 2016
Columns & Departments
ST Update
Technology Update
Integrating High-End Effects in Your Design
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
Moving Message
Technology Review - Computerized Cutters’ Accu-Form
Technology Review - Cyrious software
Design Matters
New Products
Signs that Invite
Horseshoe-Shaped Window Graphics
Driving West
State of the Industry
Returns to Glory
Enter ST’s Vehicle Graphics Contest
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - July 2016