Our view

The story sounds almost ludicrous when first told: a suspicious bag left outside of Sen. Deb Fischer’s office in Lincoln was investigated by the bomb squad. They sealed off nearby streets for 15 minutes, only to discover the threatening bag was merely full of garbage.

Under normal circumstances it would be easy to poke fun at Fischer’s nervous staff. In the light of the Boston Marathon bombing and other recent tragedies, however, their caution is both understandable and laudable. Any unattended package could prove deadly.

During times when the Irish Republican Army busied itself planting bombs in London and Northern Ireland, the British wisely responded by removing trash cans from areas where people might congregate. At airports worldwide travelers on their way to their gates hear the unattended package warning repeatedly.

This week, letters containing what is believed to be ricin, a potentially deadly poison, were sent to both U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and President Barack Obama.

Now we have one again been served notice that caution is the best policy – even if, this time, it led authorities to a discarded garbage bag.

The staff may laugh about the incident later. But we applaud them for providing an example that for public officials and people in crowded places, an alert eye and willingness to call the authorities could make a big difference.