The country was stunned this weekend when Hawaii sent out a false alert. Over a million residents were notified that a missile was incoming. After thirty minutes of panic, a message was sent out clarifying the error.
It was a shocking event. One that should never have happened. A false alarm like that could cause chaos and fear among Hawaiians. People could have been harmed or worse. Not only that, but it weakens the legitimacy of their system. Should a real alert be sent out, will people listen?
It makes sense that people are demanding answers. Who was the one responsible for this error? We learned a little bit about who caused the panic. What’s worse is, he’s not getting in trouble.
From Daily Wire:
The Hawaii government employee who caused mass panic by accidentally sending out a statewide warning that a ballistic missile was incoming has been “temporarily reassigned” pending an internal investigation into the blunder, officials said.
The worker, employed by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, pressed the wrong button — twice, in fact — during a shift change Saturday. Officials said the employee, using a drop-down menu on a computer, selected a missile launch warning instead of one that conducts an internal test alert…
Compounding the error, the employee, a 10-year veteran who has still not been named, then clicked “yes” when the computer prompt appeared asking whether to he’d like to continue. “The worker realized the epic proportions of his error after receiving the same frightening missile alert on his own phone,” the Associated Press reported…
While it might seem that the worker should be fired — and perhaps run out of town on a rail like the old days, or maybe tarred and feathered — the employee was simply “reassigned.” And state officials are defending the clearly incompetent — and dangerous — worker.
This isn’t like a waiter getting an order wrong. The event could had led to deaths. People could have panicked in the streets. What about an older citizen? This alert could have led to a heart attack. Yet the person deliberately clicked on the wrong option–twice. You’d think someone with 10 years’ experience would know better.
What does the state government do? They reassign the employee. He’s not even moved from the department! Shouldn’t this have warranted a more severe punishment?
Firing is not out of a question. But at the very least, this person should have been demoted. This mistake has led to mass panic across the state. People thought they would die. Yet, as is usual, the government tries to cover up their own incompetence.
This is why we need leaders who will drain the swamp. Government, from D.C. to the state-level, allows for this kind of problem. They don’t demand high standards from their employees. Government breeds this kind of incompetence.
It’s about time things changed.
Source: Daily Wire
