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Contributors
Chris Field- Contributor
Chris
Field is Editor of Human
Events Online [go
to Field index]
TWO
CENTS
 Home
Security
Open borders...
[Chris Field] 12/13/04
My
friend has a nice home, a very nice home. It's good sized and
sits on a pretty
big piece of land. He takes good care of
it, though it does have its share of problems as any house does,
but he says the problems give the home "character." He
says he'll fix those things when he gets around to it -- and
I believe him. But none of those problems detracts from how great
his home is.
Lately he's become increasing concerned about the safety of
his loved ones who abide in the home with him. The neighborhood
has gotten rougher over the years. Don't get me wrong, it's not
nearly as bad as the high-crime areas many of us know (and others
of us read about), but it's not the same place that he knew 15
to 20 years ago. Recently an acquaintance of his down the street
was mugged as she walked from her car in the driveway to her
porch. Another neighbor just a few blocks over was attacked in
the middle of the night when he walked in on a burglar ransacking
the rec room in his basement.
But what really got my friend's attention was something that
happened when he came home from work late one night. He walked
up the stairs and down the hall to check on his young daughter
who had gone to bed hours earlier. When he reached the door to
his daughter's room, he found a man rummaging through the little
girl's dresser. Scary, I know. Too make a long story short, after
a brief melee, the intruder escaped. The cops never caught him,
and my friend's daughter sleeps will the light on now.
And his home isn't the same anymore.
He wired security cameras all over the interior of the home,
and placed several on the roof to watch the exterior. In fact,
he set up six or eight monitors in his den that display feeds
from every spot imaginable. His wife and his housekeeper have
been instructed to keep an eye on the displays as much as possible
and to call him about anything that seems the least bit suspicious.
He now has an 80-pound, well-trained Rottweiler named Brutus
that roams around the home. Brutus knows who is supposed to be
in the home and who isn't -- and bad guys will regret the next
time they decide to mess with my friend's family.
My friend also went out bought a few shotguns which he keeps
in strategic areas of the home. He even bought a .44 magnum to
keep at his bedside. He's well armed and ready for the next person
who dares to even think about coming in his home and messing
with the people he cares about more than anything.
But my security-conscious friend has this stupid habit. He never
locks the front door when he goes to bed at night. I've told
him repeatedly how moronic he's being. I've pleaded with him
to make it a point to lock his door for the sake of his loved
ones.
He's been told many, many times that the easiest, most common
sense thing he can do to provide for the security of those living
in the home is to lock the door.
I cannot tell you how often I have reminded him what a simple
first line of defense locking his door would provide.
Locking the door isn't
permanent. It's not like he can't unlock the door when he wants
to let people he trusts into his home.
But by having it locked, he at least has taken the first steps
in protecting his "homeland" from those who would do
harm to him or his wife or his little girl.
Sure he has the cameras to help keep an eye on those who might
sneak in.
Brutus is there to help ward off would-be attackers once they've
made their way inside.
His guns will help
him kill "evil-doers" -- but maybe
only after it's too late.
But what about those who would just waltz right through the
open door?
Seems to me like using the first line of defense -- a process
that is his right, his duty, and his easiest form of home security
-- would be a no-brainer. Just lock the door, and let in only
those whom you trust.
By now I'm sure you've realized that I don't actually have a
friend this stupid. But I -- and you -- do have a federal government
that won't tend to its front doors.
Doesn't this all seem obvious?
Why is it that when our lawmakers and our President implement
homeland security measures, they refuse to lock the front door?
They could always unlock and open the door to let in whomever
they want when they want. But, instead, they leave our borders
wide open, risking our lives -- the lives they are duty-bound
to protect -- simply because they refuse to take the most logical
first step in home security.
Well, at least I'm armed...and I have a dog. tOR
copyright
2004 Human Events
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