Herculean task force

The Olympics are coming! Maybe, in three years, if we last that long. In anticipation, the White House has already begun preparing security measures for the event.

This week, it issued an executive order, since I guess that’s how we government now, with its intent to establish a task force with the president at its head and a rogue’s gallery of most of the other members of his cabinet joining him.

It’s not a shock to see the government intervening to keep a renowned public sporting event like the Olympics safe. I’d go so far as to say it’s expected, in a token manner at least. It is, however, worth a raised eyebrow that the White House is so boldly inserting itself onto the scene, following its recent history with city officials in Los Angeles.

Naturally unprompted, the president threatened to deploy the national guard or military to protect the Olympics. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last eight very long months, it’s that this scenario is almost guaranteed at this point. Is anyone else worried that the 2028 opening ceremony is going to feature a military parade now?

To say nothing about how fantastically vulnerable an event like the Olympics is and the work that occurs from security professionals to secure large scale public venues during an event like this, I can honestly say trucks of masked ICE agents patrolling the streets of Los Angeles are unlikely to attract a crowd of foreign sporting fans.

If you need a refresher in how our current political environment is working out for tourism, ask Las Vegas how it’s doing right now.