Now, what have we learned? Nothing, apparently.

One of the most useful statements I remember right after 9/11 was said by my 11th grade government teacher. He said that we wouldn't know whether or not the terrorists had succeeded in their plot for years, until things had changed. I remember contemplating that, through the days of that September, and wondering what could possibly change. Of course, I was also 16, and more interested in things other than the state of the Union.

But considering today's lockdown of the White House and almost-evacuation of Capitol Hill, I got to thinking again. These extreme measures were put into effect because the GPS system inside a single-engine airplane went awry and caused the plane to accidentally veer into restricted airspace. Two F-16s and two Coast Guard helicopters intercepted and escorted the plane to an airport in Maryland.


Now, just to put things into perspective, that's two of these things:





And two of these things:



For one of these:


Yeah, that seems about right.

Apparently, this type of situation, where small planes accidentally find themselves in restricted airspace has happened before. Back in March, Rep. Vern Ehlers (MI-R)

"suggested that authorities determine evacuations based on the type of aircraft coming in. In other words, a jet will do a lot more damage than a Cessna, and should be treated more urgently."

Now, what a novel idea that is.

Back to the concept of the terrorists' effectiveness, I'd say they've done an outstanding job of promoting fear and terror. If a single-engine plane flying a little to the East can cause the lockdown of the White House and the evacuation of Capitol Hill, that sounds very effective to me.