Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

I feel sorry for New Yorkers. I’ve said before that many of them have gruff exteriors that conceal hearts of gold. Yet, New York has become a target zone, and New Yorkers live and work there.

By now, most people are aware of the failed bombing in Times Square using a Nissan Pathfinder. The incident reinforces an important lesson:

The world is a dangerous place. Thousands of surveillance cameras cannot prevent crime, but they MIGHT prevent freedom.

Safety and freedom are forces that act in opposition. Safety, convenience, and efficiency have been used as excuses for erosion of our liberties.

Even from the published details of the attempted bombing, we can see that attempt was dangerous, but amateurish. One VIN (vehicle identification number) was removed from the Pathfinder, but VINs, like firearm serial numbers, are found in several locations. All morning long I wanted to know, “What’s in the box?” I wanted to know so that we might have clues to the true level of sophistication of the perpetrator. Published details state that there were bags of nonexplosive-grade fertilizer. Even the M-88 fireworks used are, according to Wikipedia, “A standard firecracker with extra packing designed to resemble an M-80 (explosive).”

What would have happened if the Nissan Pathfinder had been packed by someone who is COMPETENT (or competent AND suicidal)? All of those thousands of surveillance cameras and other devices would have done NOTHING to prevent a serious explosion and loss of life.

Surveillance cameras can be useful AFTER an event like yesterday’s, to help find the person(s) responsible. Surveillance cameras are also soothing for people with an obsessive “need to know” who sometimes mistake “knowledge” for “power.” Surveillance cameras cannot PREVENT crime and make us safer, any more than gun laws (and capital punishment of offenders) can prevent violence.

New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg was quoted as saying:

“There are some people around the world that find our freedoms so threatening that they’re willing to kill themselves and others to prevent us from enjoying it, but we’re not going to let them win,”

It is VERY important not to let those people “win” by our caving in to demands for more and more surveillance, and fewer and fewer freedoms. The world is not a safe place, and, more importantly, THE WORLD CANNOT BE MADE SAFE. I know that fact (further) frightens control freaks who think that “knowledge is power,” but it is a fact, nevertheless.

The failed bombing in Times Square yesterday reminded us, once again.

(Note added May 3, 2010: An arrest was made in the case today, at JFK Airport. The suspect was trying to board an overseas flight. The investigation team is considering the possible involvement of more than one individual.)

(Note added May 4, 2010: The suspect, Faisal Shahzad, age 30, is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan who was living in Connecticut. The charges filed against the suspect include: attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, use of a destructive device in connection with criminal violence, transporting and receiving explosives, and damaging and destroying property by means of fire. If convicted, Shahzad could get life in prison. Shahzad reportedly has waived his right to remain silent and his right to an attorney, and is cooperating in the investigation.)

(Note added May 8, 2010: I just read three significant quotes of men “who would know” about this incident, in the LATimes online. The quotes seem to be in agreement with my opinions above. The first is by William J. Bratton, a former Los Angeles Police Chief who ran the New York department in the 1990s:

“Listen, it’s just not possible to totally prevent an attack,” said former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, who ran the New York department in the mid-1990s and returned to live here last year. “You can harden Times Square and harden Wall Street, but the next time a car with a bomb drives up to a crowd during a Yankee or Mets game, or for that matter in Boston at a Red Sox game … boom — there it all goes.”

The second quote is by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:

“There is a balance between being so safe you can’t go out of your house, and enjoying freedom — freedom to come and go, and to talk and to be in charge of your own destiny,” Bloomberg said.

The third quote is by former New York Deputy Police Commissioner John Timoney:

“This guy was a professional killer, except he was incompetent.”

What if he had not been incompetent?

The rest of the article talks about safety measures that have been implemented in New York and the COSTS of safety measures. Ultimately, the discussion will eventually center on the cost-effectiveness of security measures and the fact that New York [or anywhere else] cannot be made totally secure without making prisoners of its inhabitants.

Freedom and security are opposing forces.)

-Bill at

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