Please note that all blog posts before 8 April 2007 were automatically imported from LiveJournal. To see the comments and any LiveJournal-specific extras such as polls and user icons, please find the source posting at http://brianenigma.livejournal.com/2001/09/Let’s say you are big and strong. Let’s say that there is a little pipsqueak that thinks they are big and strong. They attack you. You kick their ass. You “went to war” with the pipsqueak. The war had a specific beginning, middle, and end. You know when you kicked the pipsqueak’s ass.
Let’s say you are big and strong. Let’s say that that a colony of nocturnal fire ants finds its way into your house in the middle of the night and sting you silly. You kill them off, but are not sure if there is still more outside, in a colony. You are not sure you have sealed off all of the entrances to your house that the ants could possibly use. You are not sure you are safe. This time, the war has a specific beginning, a specific battle, but no distinct end. You have to go through a ton of security hassles…maybe a special front door that works like an airlock, ensuring that only you, and no ants, get in…maybe you had to seal off all of your windows and install an air filtration system, allowing you to breathe stale, tasteless air…maybe you sit up all night, watching, prepared for another ant infestation…when does it end? How far do you go to trade off convenience for security? How do you know what to secure? After all, the next attack might not be fire ants, it might killer bees. They can fly–which you may not have taken into account when you set up your security measures.
Where do you draw that line between “secure” and “too paranoid?” Is that drawn line seen as reasonable and necessary for all occupants of the fire ant attacked house?
