Look out ! A criminal !

During a debate about Crime and Punishment on the Mob Forum, Brad, who I have in the past had some sympathy for over the bashing he gets on there, suddenly went off on a wild tangent about how much information about us he would be happy to hand over to the state to protect us from crime. Basically everything by the sound of it.

It was most bizarre. Why do people think like this ? Why do people buy the Daily Mail for instance and believe all that crap ? Fear and paranoia. The media in this country have whipped up an unbelievable amount of hysteria over crime (likewise in the US over terrorism). Politicians are more than happy to go along with it as it allows them to justify outrageous extensions to their power and authority. Listen to me. You are extremely unlikely to be a victim of violent crime at the hands of a stranger. The vast majority of violent crimes are committed by someone known to the victim. Even, especially in fact, murder. You want to be safe ? Never mind locking all your doors and crossing the road when you see someone suspicious looking. Think more carefully about who you shack up with instead. The violations of our civil liberties being practised every day in the name of "fighting evil" are almost unbelievable. It is worse in the US with the "War against Terror" (see Michael Moore's latest book) but it's coming this way too, unless we open our eyes.