Hi Folks
Firstly, thanks to all those who contributed to the OT thread that I started last weekend. I had to go away at short notice and was without computer contact for the week and hence unable to reply to you all, in that thread.
Now for this week’s topic, entitled "Ethics" but looking at it in terms of privacy and the lack thereof with some organisations and agencies.
I really have no problem with the disclosure of much of the information that many would consider private, because I'm not a criminal and I have nothing to hide. However that said, I am concerned with this information getting into the hands of criminals and would be criminals as identity fraud seems to be becoming a major problem these days.
I am also concerned with the amount of spam, junk mail, and telephone surveys and marketing, that I receive. In a weak moment a couple of months ago a made a donation to a charity who rang on the phone. Since then I have been plagued with requests for donations from all sorts of organisations. Obviously my name and number have made it onto the 'This is a soft touch' list.
This is one item I would have preferred to keep private.
But my major complaint is with the veneer of pseudo security measures which have been put into place since the terrorist attacks which started to gain momentum a few years ago.
My air ticket costs me more now to pay for someone to check my carry on luggage, and my person. I have to arrive at the airport much earlier than previously to go through this screening. And does it do any good?
I don't believe so.
For example the day before yesterday I went to Brisbane airport to collect my wife from a flight. This is the major airport for this state. I arrived early, so rather than sitting in a lounge, and paying parking fees for an extended time, I drove past the terminal, down to the light aircraft area, to sit in the car and watch the planes arrive, till her flight arrived.
What was at the end of the road? An open gate leading onto the tarmac.
Now if I was a terrorist intent on hijacking a plane, would I walk through the metal detectors and risk having my pistol, knife, boxcutter or whatever detected.
Not on your nelly. I would wait till the plane was almost fully loaded, drive through that gate and up to the steps of the plane, race up them with my submachine gun, shoot whoever tried to stop me, take over the plane, and do my evil deed.
And the millions spent on security would have been wasted.
Well it is wasted.
A far better method of dealing with this would have been to remove cockpit doors and seal up the space. (the pilots could get in through a hatch from outside, like they do in the second world war films) and ban all carry on luggage.
Perhaps we are attacking terrorism at the wrong end. Removal of hatred by removal of oppression and the like would seem to be a far more effective way of making the world a safer place for us all.
I could go on, but I think you get my drift. BF
