--- "Suze Cameron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >. . .I think maybe Kakki said it best that let's not create something new, but revamp >the systems already in place.
Sue-- I agree w/Kakki. However, by going back to pre-11 September systems to determine _why_ the hijackers fell through the cracks, and then base some security measure on that information. That at least is to the point, rather than the far-flung grasp of The Patriot's Act and TIPS. >I did agree with your comment that the Constitution is what sets us apart, but did >the terrorists find the original copy and burn it? I don't see the relevance. There's a vast difference between burning the original Constitution and mandating changes that violate the spirit and intent of the Constitution. The very thought of "We the People. . ." and the ideals that brought the phrase to light are the very core to which we should aspire (one reason why it remains a living document). Someone could burn the original copy and it wouldn't matter, because the document is one of ideas. And those matter. The issue of security is an unsettling one, and, one in which there will never be adequate satisfaction. Despite any effort, security can be breached. (Witness this morning's suicide bombing in, according to CNN, "the most heavily guarded section of Jerusalem.") >Of course you know this already occurs to some extent. You are on a magazine >subscription list, your library account is computerized, when you shop at the market. >. . Yes and no: Yes, unfortunately Safeway, et al, know my eating habits better than my mother, who still thinks I like my brocolli processed through the de-flavorizer. But, as a former librarian, I can write without reservation that electronic security has always been a major issue, in particular, the privacy of patron records. Once an item is returned, the patron record is cleared. These safeguards are built into automated systems. (And, yes, I'm sure that some software intern could make those disparite electrons dance and do the hully-gully, and ultimately re-create the patron's record. Like I wrote, any security can be breached. But as a matter of course, that record is private. And I haven't read anything about the hijackers having had library cards.) You can check out more (pun optional) at ALA.org. Denny, truly appreciating this discussion, and all of the points made. NP: Bill Frisell, "Strange Meeting"
