Gerry, it's a shame... You appear to be a bit of a hopeless case.  I had hoped that you would recognize the pleas of others and dispense with "political discourse" on this listserv.  Hopefully you will both appreciate and respect that there is a wide diversity of beliefs here, and that your earlier incendiary remarks could not help your cause, whatever that cause might be.
 
Given your "response".... I'll reply in kind.  Perhaps you and I should agree to take this discussion offline so that we do not run off those who come to this listserv to discuss Records and Information Management, rather than politics.
 
Gerry:  Odd...I thought one of the primary lesson of the London Subway bombings was the fact that neither the thousands of
surveillance cameras nor London's "Ring of Steel" did anything to actually prevent those bombings.  
Cameras don't really prevent crime unless you have constant real-time monitoring and, equally as important, the manpower
resources available to actually have a bobby or two able to respond to any/every monitored location within seconds.
Despite the hundreds of millions (500 million?)of dollars that have been spent on surveillance cameras in London four out
of five of the boroughs with the most cameras have a record of solving crime that is below average.
Yet, a lot of folks (nay, most?) persist in believing that surveillance cameras are a panacea.
 
Doug's Response:  Of course I am well aware that security cameras don't prevent anything.  However, they helped catch the terrorists.  That, in my view is quite a good thing, since it prevented these particular individuals from conducting further attacks.  I do note, that you provided no "preventive measures" yourself in any of your comments.  Perhaps we can or should agree that permitting acts of terrorism to go unpunished, or to make proving a case against a terrorist is not an acceptable result.

Gerry:  Well if you're satisfied with the "security theater" we have and have confidence in the TSA (I forget - can we take a pair of fingernail clippers in our carryon bags again yet?) and DHS I guess that is all that matters.
 
Doug's Response:  You do at least, have a sense of humor here.  No, I can't claim to be overly impressed with TSA agents.  However, the fact that we've had no additional attacks yet is something that I view as a good thing.  I'd prefer to abide by what we've done thus far than to have done nothing.  Again, I note that you have suggested no solution in this area.

Gerry:  I just hope that you have your DHS approved Real ID before May 2008 so you can continue to board flights or enter a National Park.
 
Doug's Response:  Hey, I'm not concerned about DHS or RealID at all.  I work in an area that requires a fairly low level of security clearance as is, so I'm readily able to enter a National Park and to board flights.... No problem on my part!


Gerry:  As they say...just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't actually out to get you <grin>
 
Doug's Response:  Here I agree, but I'm a bit more concerned about the "they" that represent those who fear the freedoms that we enjoy, and less concerned about those who seek to protect us and our families from harm.  Many of them work in a rather thankless environment, and I have to say that I'm happy that they're there!
 
Finally.... if the environment in Massachusettes is one that you find oppressive, come on down to Texas.  We welcome everyone from Kinky Freedman to our current Governor and Speaker of the House, so all points of view are welcomed here!  Oh, we also observe the 2nd ammendment in Texas.  So far, we're also free enough to make decisions on whether or not to smoke a cigar, without paying prohibitive taxes, to choose to eat at a fast food joint, or not, and enjoy being in a place where we are able to keep more of what we earn that others in less fortunate areas sometimes can.  Who could want more?  ;-)  --- ((btw, for others, I am well aware that this represents only ONE view of Texas, but heck, I'm debating Gerry!))
 
Now, let's agree to turn the political discussion off, since we've both had two trips to the well, and allow others with Records and Information Management Concerns to pursue their interests.

Doug Allen, CRM, CDIA+
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