A Rant Inspired By Killboy's 07/21 Video

I vote for "a couple of l.e.o.'s sometimes," not "a bunch of l.e.o.'s doing public relations once in a while."  It's a false choice.

For one thing, being parked in a line of traffic on a hot summer day, losing time to make passes, is not my idea of being schmoozed.  It's my idea of being harassed.  For another, there is a reason I run a radar detector.  I don't go to the Dragon to look at the scenery.  A crowd of l.e.o.'s at a roadblock on the Dragon says "trolling" to me, not "public relations."  I don't, personally,  fall off the road (at least I haven't yet).  And I consider the odd speed citation as the cost of entertainment.  Routine patrolling is enough to keep scofflaws like me in line.   

Yes, it's a good idea to have some l.e.o.'s on or near the Dragon, some of the time.  A density of presence, say, like what we might expect in any other rural area.  There are squids of the two-legged variety.  A squid's gonna squid: one l.e.o. observing and citing him is enough.  There could be unruly citizens at either end.  Officers are trained to manage emergencies, like accidents.  And the unexpected, like windstorms.  They can summon other emergency responders fast.  (Try getting 911 on your cell on the Dragon.)  At the very least, they can escort 18-wheelers through.

But don't set up a roadblock and call it public relations.   Call it what it apparently was: complying with grant money requirements.  And why a "Sobriety Check" on the Dragon on a Saturday morning, instead of in Knoxville or Alcoa on a Saturday night?  Answer: To Send A Message.

True (as Killboy pointed out) the Dragon is a long way from anywhere, and most of it is in TN jurisdiction.  But Blount County and the THP seem to have been invited by NC to knock themselves out if they want it patrolled.  And they seem to be more than up to the challenge.  A TN l.e.o. can signal "presence" by running up to the DGMR for coffee and back.  Maybe park for a while at the Overlook.  Maybe make a couple of passes.  That sends a different kind of message than a roadblock on a Saturday morning.

OK...I feel better now...