On the Mark -- Dirty War

I finally had a chance to watch HBO's new movie, "Dirty War." (Note to The Misanthrope -- don't watch until Daughter has come home.) I haven't read any of the reviews yet because I don't like to know someone else's opinion before I watch, read or listen to something. But I'm wondering if the real point of the movie got across?

The basic plot (without giving anything away, although it's not necessarily meant to be suspenseful) is that terrorists set off a dirty bomb, or a conventional bomb with radioactive "ingredients" that acts much like a mini-nuclear bomb.

But what the movie truly depicted is that the public (takes place in London) is not properly informed (if at all) about how to react should this happen in a surrounding area. Politics, PR spin, and lies give the public a false sense of security, when they really should have been hearing and seeing more about how they should handle this type of situation -- e.g., don't drink or eat anything, don't put your hands to your mouth or eyes, stay within confined areas, etc., until you've been decontaminated.

If viewers were really watching vs. just sitting there mindlessly being entertained -- well, they would have gotten an education. This show was in some ways a public service announcement.

Yet, while I watched it, I couldn't help but think that if something like this did happen in L.A. or N.Y. or Chicago, or Dallas, or Seattle or Miami, that the result would probably be the same -- making a bigger disaster of a disaster.

Sure, maybe our emergency response personnel and police know what to do in this situation, but what about the potential hundreds of thousands of people affected by this type of situation? Will they break through barriers and unknowingly contaminate their loved ones with radiation in their race to get home? I suspect so.

Let's face it, we need to know as much or more about how to handle this eventuality than the government, which will only retreat to their underground bunkers while the rest of us try to fend for ourselves. Some may see this movie as propaganda to get more money for homeland security (I didn't). But even if that's the case, I'd rather have the money spent on protecting and educating us than on a senseless war in Iraq anyway.

Watch this movie, and take notes. There may be a test later.