Letter: Security overkill at Winter Games

Monday, March 11, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

Shortly before the Winter Olympics opened, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld tellingly observed: "It's interesting to note that the largest theater (of military operations) for the United States is not Afghanistan today. It is in fact Salt Lake City and the environs. We have more people in the area around Salt Lake City for the Olympics than we do in Afghanistan."

More than 15,000 soldiers patrolled the Olympics, and F-16 fighter planes were deployed in Utah's skies. "Black Hawk helicopters could be heard circling above the city," reported The Times of London on Feb. 7. "The F-16s will chase away or shoot down any noncommercial aircraft that stray within a 45-mile radius of the city. ... Snipers on snowmobiles will patrol the slopes above some events."

The hills of Utah were alive with snipers and observation teams equipped with night-vision and thermal imagery gear, according to U.S. News & World Report. According to Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt, the Winter Games took place in "the safest place on earth." Attracting a global audience of billions, the Olympics was a very lucrative advertising platform for various corporate sponsors. It was also a two-week infomercial for the "benign" American garrison state being created in the name of "homeland security."

FRANK PELTESON