In a message of 13 Sep 03 Wayne Chirnside wrote to me:

 TS>> My only question would be, "Safer from whom?"

 TS>> Terrorists?  Maybe.  Home-grown criminals?  Hell, no.

 TS>> The Gummint?  Gimme a break!

 WC> I think the line between the latter two quite thin indeed :-(

I discount the gummint completely.  The purpose of government isn't
necessarily to protect the citizens from itself; look at history.

The gov't is there to maintain order and protect itself.  To do that, it
has to bleed the citizenry.  Governments are by nature corrupt, because you
can't keep the leeches out forever.  Every so often, a country cleans
house, but the last time one really worked was Nixon's resignation.

The next one will, if the trends continue, require a blood bath for a
proper cleansing.  The Romans may have been nasty, but they were practical,
as far as the Caesars went.

Todd Sullivan

... As funny as a proctologist with cold hands.

--- Spot 1.3b Unregistered