by Frank James
Among the most common sights on Capitol Hill are congressional aides, lobbyists and reporters, heads tilted down as they thumb-scroll through the e-mails on their BlackBerries or frenetically thumb-type messages. It wouldn't surprise anyone if the little devices were first called "crackberries" here in Washington because of the early addiction folks here had to them.
But after reading a story on Politico.com we're feeling less inclined to poke fun at the capital's BlackBerry fetish. It turns out a Blackberry can double as a sort of OnStar service to summon help in a time of need.
Apparently, Herman Wang, Washington reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press was a victim of a terrifying home invasion at his house on Capitol Hill. The bad guy bound and gagged him, actually stuck a sock in his mouth. (I thought that was just a saying.)
Before the bad guy left with Wang's cell phone and laptop, he indicated an accomplice was on the way. Wang was able to get help by using his wife's computer, which the thug hadn't taken, and e-mailing an SOS to Lee Pitts, press secretary to Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander's from Tennessee.
Pitts must be one of those congressional aides who's constantly reading his BlackBerry. He saw Wang's note within a minute and immediately called 911. The police arrived within minutes.
The moral of this Washington story is to keep those BlackBerries charged.
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