Tough Week In Toontown

Not since Eddie Valiant cracked the Roger Rabbit case has there been such commotion in the Krazy Korner of Kartoons. It turns out that it was an inside job: A twenty-two-year-old Disneyland employee was arrested on suspicion of setting off a so-called dry ice bomb in the Toontown section of the park, forcing the child-friendly area to be evacuated. Christian Barnes, an outdoor vending "cast member," was booked on suspicion of possession of a destructive device and is being held in lieu of one million dollars bail. Lesson learned. Don't mess with the happiest place on earth.
I suppose it could be seen as a prank gone wrong, or youthful shenanigans, but given our patience with explosions these days, I suppose Christian picked the wrong week to goof on Goofy. It also reminds us all that, in spite of the security measures that Disney has put in place in our post-9/11 world, there are still ways to disrupt the dominant paradigm. Checking our backpacks and handbags for contraband didn't keep Mister Barnes from using the tools he had on hand to fashion his explosive device.
It also didn't keep Angelo Lista from exercising his second amendment rights by packing heat in Disney World's Animal Kingdom. He told authorities he didn't know Disney World patrons weren't allowed to bring guns. He said he thought the security checkpoint at the entrance to the Florida theme park was only so that guards could check bags for bombs or explosives. Patrons do not walk through metal detectors nor are they subject to patdowns. That's how a woman and her grandson found a loaded gun on the seat of a ride in what is quickly becoming the less-than-happiest place on earth.
See, there's this thing called a community, and it's what I love the very most about visiting Disney parks. When I walk inside those gates, I can leave the stress and dangers of the real world behind. Communities share agreements, such as "we probably won't need a gun to fend off the animatronic pirates, and even the Jungle Cruise skippers shoot their blanks into the air." How about, we bring our kids to visit Mickey's house and we don't expect to have to shield them from shrapnel. Or maybe we could just hang a new sign outside that points in the direction of Realityland.