Time of Death by Jenn McKinlay

 Recently, I went through a breakup. It was a standard "it's not you, it's me" situation where I felt that I was becoming someone I didn't want to be and so it was time for me to end it. Before you panic, it's not me and the Hub. He's awesome, we're awesome, we're absolutely enjoying the empty nest chapter of our lives together. 

No the breakup was between me and Twitter. I'd originally joined in 2009 and just had my FB posts repost over there and I literally never ever went on the platform, much like 80% of the population. But then I demolished my FB to make a professional page, and I started to use Twitter and Instagram more regularly. Little did I know how cranky it would make me. Don't get me wrong, there are some spectacularly funny posts on Twitter, which was mostly why I stayed but it's also a real platform of divisiveness and yelling into the void. 

So, I woke up one Saturday, opened up the little bird app, saw all the ranting and raving and performative outrage, and thought Nah.  Then I declared the time of death on my relationship with Twitter and deactivated my account. I didn't plan it. I didn't overthink it. I just tapped out. 

I'd like to say it was like a miracle and I was suddenly more productive and everything was sunshine and buttercups. It wasn't because you can't escape the news. BUT I found my anxiety dropped significantly and the time I normally would have spent doom scrolling, I used to do the projects I'd been putting off like replanting the small forest of draceana I've been growing in front of the arcadia doors (three plants have morphed into eight) and painting the spare bedroom. Yes, technically, I'm still choosing the color but I'm getting there!

Of course, now we have the rise of Snapchat and Tik Tok to contend with and I'm just going to lead with...no, just no! I love my family, friends, and readers, I do, but honestly, I do not want to be connected to everyone 24/7. It's exhausting!

I genuinely believe that there are two commodities that the world will suck right out of you if you let it--your privacy and your time--and I am determined to "reclaim my time" and maintain my privacy because, really, why would I just give it away in a toxic space that does nothing for me except give me the occasional laugh? 

How about you, Reds and Readers, what social media platforms have you had to break up with? How do you manage your time on social media? What do you think the future of all this connectivity is?

WHOOO ARE YOOOO? How many factors are enough?

HALLIE EPHRON: There was a time, not all that long ago, when it seemed like every time I turned around, one of my passwords or my credit card was getting hacked. Huge pain in the butt getting that sorted.

These days, so many accounts are requiring two-factor authentication. For the longest time I resisted. I don’t always have a phone with me for verification and I don’t want to risk getting locked out. I wonder, what about people who don’t have access to computers or cell phones, never mind both?

I’ve been succumbing to two-factor authentication and I suppose it must be working because I haven’t had a security hiccough in months.

Then upping the ante, I had to pass a photo ID test in order to get an account so I could see my tax history. This involves having my computer take a picture of me and a picture of my photo ID. Which I did. But apparently I’ve outgrown my passport photo since the match failed. Not once, but several times.

So I had to call them (only 15 minutes on hold) and spoke to a very nice woman who eyeballed  my face and my passport over what I hope was a secure camera line (Yeeks!) and confirmed that I'm me.

All of this in the name of protecting my privacy. Am I the only one who sees some irony here?

Have any of you had to struggle to prove you’re you lately?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s the good news and the bad news, right? We want to be protected, but it’s difficult. And then to prove yourself, you have to hand over all kinds of personal information.

And for me, it can be triple complicated. Because my legal name is different from my writer name, if someone asks me “What’s your name?”, sometimes I have to reply “Why?” Or sometimes I’ll make a hotel reservation for Hank Phillippi Ryan, and the agent will ask: What day does he want to arrive?

And, I guess I can tell you, the cable people will only talk on the phone to the person whose name is on the account. So when I call, they say: Who am I speaking with? And I say my husband’s name. They say–YOU’RE Jonathan? And I say: Yes. (With a tone like–you gonna question me about that? It always works.)

JENN McKINLAY: I live in a state that doesn’t require you to renew your license for 30 years. My ID is from the week after I was married and back from my honeymoon. There will never be an ID photo of me that is this good and I’m not renewing it until it expires in seven more years.

I’ve had my credit card taken but not my identity - praise be - and I find two-factor identification very annoying but I suppose you can’t be too careful. When paying the hooligans’ tuition, I have to have two-factor ID and all I can think is “Hey, if anyone else wants to pay this bill, be my guest.” LOL.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: A few years ago I had to renew my driver's license in person and it was a huge pain. Birth certificate, passport, etc. etc. And I've had my debit card skimmed, but have not had my identity stolen, thank goodness.

The confusion in our house comes from the fact that, while my writing name is also my legal name, it's not my husband's name. So he is on some accounts and I am on others and I'm always having to explain. Not to mention that he hates being called "Mr. Crombie…."

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Like most of you, my legal name (Ross’s last name) is different from my writing name (my maiden name,) which causes confusion and last-minute frantic updates if a new assistant publicist is making reservations and isn’t up on what my credit cards and drivers license say.

I’ve never been hacked, but my cell phone number has gotten out there, and I get spam texts occasionally which make me roll my eyes. Fortunately, my phone has one-touch reporting; I hit the ‘spam’ button and the message disappears and the number is blocked.

I actually like the two-factor authentication; I’ve gotten used to it and it does make me feel more secure. What drives me nuts are the aggressive security measures my card issuer uses to prevent fraud - they stop payment and text/ call me to confirm.

The first time this happened was when I was spending $$$ getting Youngest a Macbook Air for high school. We’re in the Genius Bar, trying to navigate the purchase, warranty, etc, and my card is refused! Then while I’m asking the very helpful Specialist to run it again, my phone started blowing up with a number I didn’t recognize. I was utterly stumped until after we were back in the car, sans Macbook, and I listened to my voicemail.

It’s happened to me a few times since then, but it’s always infrequent enough so I never think of my card security until I’m already flustered and trying to sort out what’s wrong with the salesperson/hotel clerk/reservation agent. Who I am sure thinks I’m just some deadbeat on the brink of bouncing a check.

RHYS BOWEN: Another victim of two names here. I have to remember to remind my publicity team that I have to check in using the name on my driver’s license. And this time there were problems at both hotels because the publicists had booked a room for Rhys Bowen and charged the other to MY credit card.

I’ve also been through the embarrassment of having a card denied when trying to make a big purchase–last time it was booking a river cruise. So by the time I had called Chase I had to go through the whole booking process again. I do like that they are looking out for me, but really,can’t they see that I’ve booked a river cruise before?

And my cards have been hacked many times which is a real pain as I have most of my bills on auto pay and have to give them all a new card. Another small annoyance. My phone has facial recognition which it can’t do with a mask on. I understand the latest upgrade can add this feature but I haven’t had time to explore it yet.

LUCY BURDETTE: First of all, about ID photos, you may or may not remember that I lost my passport while traveling a couple of years ago--in India! Here's the whole story if you want groan, gasps, and giggles. The point is, I had to get a new passport, with a new photo, taken at a little open air shop on the streets of Delhi. I was not allowed to smile or wear my glasses. It is the worst photo ever, but I was just so grateful to have it!

Like Rhys, it seems I have an account hacked at least once a year. So very frustrating. Do you all belong to Credit Karma? It's a free app that tracks your credit reports and credit card balances etc. So at least you can get an alert if something fishy is going on.

HALLIE: I don't belong to Credit Karma, but I have my credit card account set to ping me with a text message whenever my card gets charged. It sets my mind at rest--at least I know the minute any charge hits that I didn't make. It's also good for alerting me to any repeating service charges that I authorized once up on a time and no longer need.

So are you welcoming two-factor identification or resorting to wearing garlic to ward off marauders?

There's no place like home... or is there?

HALLIE EPHRON: One of the more fascinating things on the Internet (shhhh, I've had time to wander this week) is an IKEA research report entitled “Life at Home.”  The questions are fascinating.

For example, where do you go when you need a moment of privacy?
Think about it....
Turns out nearly half of Americans say that when they need a moment of privacy, they go sit in their cars.

Have you ever thrown away something belonging to someone you live with without disclosing it? Think about it...
Turns out 40% of your fellow Americans have.

Do you feel more at home somewhere OTHER THAN where you live?
Think about it...
Turns out 35% do.

I know for me, there's no place like home (we only have one). Really. It's where I sleep best, work best, am most relaxed... And we've only lived here for 45 years. What about you?

JENN McKINLAY: This is fascinating. I will have to go look at the whole quiz. For a moment of privacy, I hide in my laundry room, sometimes the bathroom, occasionally, the car.

I throw out other people's things on a daily basis. No, not kidding. I live with three men who are incapable of sorting their possessions. The hoarder potential is great in my men. When I toss something and they ask for it six months later, I say, "Oh, it's in storage," which is code for I pitched it.

As for where I feel most at home, I am at home just about anywhere. I can settle into our house, our summer house, a vacation rental, or a hotel pretty easily and sleep, eat, work, and relax just fine. I do miss my furry babies, however, so home is where the heart is.

LUCY BURDETTE:  For privacy, I go to my room (to the mattress!) and I read. It never occurred to me to retire to the car...

Before throwing out, I ask. And advise:). There is no place to sleep or relax like home, though I wish I could be as flexible as Jenn! As for working, the one other place I'm most productive is on a plane. No internet, no phone, no tempting laundry or cooking...

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Huh. Lemme think. For a moment of privacy, I go to my writing study. Or outside, and take a walk. I have never ever sat in the car.  I LOVE to be home-- deeply frighteningly LOVE to be home.

And yes, Lucy, the most productive place is on a plane. I love how much work I can  done.  And get Popcorners! And in hotel rooms I am dandy, cozy and happy, unless they are too bleak or too dark, in which case, seriously, I ask to be moved, because I can't handle that at all.   The only place it is really almost impossible for me to feel at home is at someone else's house. No can do.


Thrown Jonathan's stuff away? Bwa ha ha. (evil laugh.)  ALL the time. He insists on keeping ratty t-shirts--"they're fine!"--and I say no. Gone. Bad regular shirts? Here's my system: First, I move them out of his closet and into another closet, and see if he notices. Time passes. Not a word. If he has not missed them in a year? (or less...) Gone. He has NEVER noticed.

My other move is when he's reading a book he doesn't like. He insists on finishing every book he starts, which drives me nuts. So if he complains for three days or so that he hates a book--I simply disappear it.  And when he asks where it is, I say: I gave it away.  He never cares, and then he can read something he likes.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am shocked that so many people don't feel at home in their own homes! That's a fascinating study, Hallie. Although I'm very good at making myself feel at home in hotel rooms or rented flats, I love my house and I certainly feel comfortable in it. Too comfortable, I think sometimes. As for privacy, I go outside, or retreat to my upstairs study, or best of all, take a bath in the cozy little bathroom adjoining my study.

And, no, I do not throw things out without asking, not even ratty old t-shirts. I don't know if it's the result of being the eldest of five kids, or of being single for years before we were married, but my hubs is very possessive of his things. The consequences of treading on that delicate area are not worth the benefits. I do, like Lucy, sometimes ask and advise, but very carefully.

I cannot work on planes! This is a whole other post!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING; I love being at home so much I sometimes worry I'm at risk for developing agoraphobia. Except I also like being outside my home. I've never sat in the car for privacy - I wonder if that's the end game of all these "open concept plan" houses everyone says they want these days. My old house has doors everywhere and I love it. I loved it when the kids were small and I could corral them in the playroom between the kitchen and dining room; I loved it when they were teens and I cold read peacefully in the living room while they blasted music and movies in the family room, and I love it now, because with several unused bedrooms, I can close doors and save on heating oil.

Wait - what was the question? Throwing away stuff? Oh yeah. Ross was a mini-horder, and if I hadn't made things disappear, I'd have been buried under piles of detritus. Now I'm going through the Smithie's and the Sailor's former rooms. Am I making judgment calls about what to keep or throw. You bet I am.

RHYS BOWEN: I love both my homes, yet always look forward to going to the other one. I love watching TV in my bedroom. I work in my office but if I need to think through a complicated plot point I drive around in my car and talk it out with myself.  For privacy? I escape to my health club and sit in the sauna, or go for a walk in nature.

Throwing John's things away? Occasionally.... He is an awful horder, keeps copies of every letter he has ever written, clothes that no longer fit him, but I usually respect his stuff. I'd hate for anyone to throw my thing away!

HALLIE: I confess, I'm quite militant about NOT throwing away other people's stuff. Maybe it's because when I was 18 my parents moved from California to NYC without any warning, and without moving any of my stuff. Plus my husband would be very upset with me. And he would notice. Even the holey T-shirts.

Even when I want to throw away something old like a toy or even a prom dress, I take a picture and text it my daughters before I toss it.

And for privacy? Like Debs, I take a bath. It's also the perfect place to take a think.

What about you?

Edward Snowden's Tips On How to Take Back Your Privacy @LibbyHellmann

 LUCY BURDETTE: Our friend Libby Hellmann always brings interesting blogs to the table to celebrate her new books. This time she's launching JUMP CUT, an Ellie Foreman thriller, much concerned about privacy. I'll let her tell you...

 “The typical methods of communication today betray you silently, quietly, invisibly, at every click. At every page that you land on, information is being stolen. It’s being collected, intercepted, analyzed, and stored by governments, foreign and domestic, and by companies.” Edward Snowden

LIBBY HELLMANN: Regardless whether you think Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor, he has ignited a firestorm about the lengths and limits that government and corporations do and should have over our privacy. In fact, the issue of privacy is at the heart of my new thriller, Jump Cut, the first Ellie Foreman thriller in ten years. Ellie finds herself under surveillance… not only her phones are tapped, but her computers are hacked, and her car has a tracker on it.

Remember when we learned the average person was caught on video cameras at least 6 times a day? And how our emails were (and continue to be) hijacked by phishers? And how our identities can be stolen off our computers or smart phones in an instant with the right tools? What Snowden did was take the theft of privacy to a higher level, by showing us how easy it is for organizations to capture even more data and information.

Facebook is fully aware of your password security questions, your personal details are stored by Gmail and plenty of other websites. Your internet service provider knows exactly who you are, where you live, your credit card number, when you made your last payment, and how much you spent. Retailers track your every visit online.

No wonder there's a growing movement of ordinary people protesting government and corporate snooping. It's serious business. And if you’re anything like Ellie, you’d want to know what to do to arm yourself against privacy and security “thieves.”.

Fortunately, Edward Snowden was interviewed in a Moscow hotel last October, and, in addition to a broad commentary on privacy, surveillance and encryption, he also offered a detailed look into opsec (operations security) and how to improve your own personal security and privacy.

Here's what he recommends.

1. Use Tor, the private browser. Snowden says it's the “most important privacy-enhancing technology project being used today”, letting you keep your physical location private and look things up without leaving a trace to identify you.

2. Encrypt all phone calls and text messages. Use a free smartphone app like Signal, by Open Whisper Systems. When you do this, nobody can read or hear your conversations. It's available for iOS and Android, and it's really easy to use. Although I didn’t name it, this is the system Ellie’s boyfriend downloads to her smart phone in JUMP CUT.

3. Encrypt your hard disk. If your machine gets stolen, nobody can see where you live, look at your files or anything else.

4. Use a password manager to stop your login details from being exposed. It will let you create a unique password for every site you need to log into. They're unbreakable, and you don't need to remember them. Snowden recommends KeePassX, a free cross-platform manager that never stores information in the cloud.

5. Use two-factor authentication so if your password gets stolen the provider can send you a secondary way to authenticate your identity, for example in a text message. When you do this, anyone wanting to hack you has to have your password plus an actual device, like your phone, to complete the transaction.

6. Use ad blocking software to cut the risk of vulnerabilities in code like Javascript and Flash.

  

Extreme  protection?

What if you want to go even further? Snowden recommends using software called SecureDrop – a system for whistleblowers - over the Tor network, so there's no connection with the computer you're using. You could also use an operating system like Tails, which leaves no forensic trace on the computer you're using. Take things even further and you're looking at using disposable machines, which can't be found in a raid so can't be appropriated and analyzed.

As Snowden says (and he would know):

“This is to be sure that whoever has been engaging in this wrongdoing cannot distract from the controversy by pointing to your physical identity. Instead they have to deal with the facts of the controversy rather than the actors that are involved in it.”

He goes on to say, “We need means of engaging in private connections to the internet. We need ways of engaging in private communications. We need mechanisms affording for private associations. And ultimately, we need ways to engage in private payment and shipping, which are the basis of trade. We need to find a way to protect the rights that we ourselves inherited for the next generation.”

Where does it end?

You can keep going to deeper and deeper levels, and I’m sure some people do. Or you could stay sane and concentrate on the six steps Snowden suggests. They will help thwart the most common and realistic threats to your personal security.

How many of you have implemented even one of Snowden’s suggestions? Unfortunately, I haven’t. But Ellie has, so at least she’s protected. 

Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago 35 years ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. Twelve novels and twenty short stories later, she claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery and crime writing community and has even won a few. 

With the addition of Jump Cut in 2016, her novels include the now five-volume Ellie Foreman series, which she describes as a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24;” the hard-boiled 4-volume Georgia Davis PI series, and three stand-alone historical thrillers that Libby calls her “Revolution Trilogy.” Last fall The Incidental Spy,  a historical novella set during the early years of the Manhattan Project at the U of Chicago was released. Her short stories have been published in a dozen anthologies, the Saturday Evening Post, and Ed Gorman’s “25 Criminally Good Short Stories” collection.  In 2005 Libby was the national president of Sisters In Crime, a 3500 member organization dedicated to the advancement of female crime fiction authors.

Read more at http://libbyhellmann.com

 

Big Brother is Watching You!

RHYS BOWEN: On Christmas Day I watched Edward Snowden on TV, saying that a baby born today will have no concept of privacy—that his every move and thought will be tracked. 1984 come to reality. Big Brother really is watching us. What a frightening thought, isn’t it. And it really seems to be true. Amazon knows exactly what I have been searching and immediately shows it to me on my next start screen. The ads that show up around my emails are for sites I’ve recently visited.

And the thing that bugs me most of all—I visit a site and a little box springs up with a live person saying “Do you want to chat?”

No, I don’t want to chat. Actually I don’t want you to know that I’m checking out your site. In fact the more I think about it, the scarier it is. The sites I check are pretty harmless—Chicos and Hotels.com… but what an opportunity for blackmail if someone checks the wrong sites!  A politician visiting a porn site, for example.(—good plot for a future book??)

I suppose that by deciding to blog online I have freely and willingly given up much of my privacy. As a published writer I am a public figure. I have lots of followers on Facebook and Twitter and I share tidbits from my life with them. But what would I do if this magnified and grew into what Charlaine Harris experienced with strange fans with filed teeth showing up on her doorstep?
I wonder if privacy is not a normal human condition—the first humans huddled together in a cave. In China today there is little concept of privacy and the Communist governments around the world want every move of their citizens to be reported. But America was founded on the concept of freedom of the individual and now that is seriously threatened. So I’m interested in what the other Reds think—are we really in danger of giving up the concept of privacy? Is this necessarily a bad thing?

HALLIE EPHRON: I remember when the House Unamerican Activities committee was in full throttle, ferreting out the Communist menace, and my screenwriter father would say those clicks we heard on the phone was them eavesdropping. I thought he was paranoid. I also remember when, in the early 60s, the FBI arrived to investigate our neighbor's oldest daughter who'd gone south as a Freedom Rider. They questioned me. I was all of 13.

Now it creeps me out when I email someone with a note about something mindless like the neat nail polish my daughter gave me for Christmas (metallic lavender)... and right away nail polish ads start popping up on the side. That feels invasive. I mean, they **are** reading my mail.

On the other hand, what do we expect for free? Which is what my gmail account is. As is Google search. As is my web browser. It's their way of extracting payment... information that can be turned into targeted ad revenue.

The NSA mining of all telephone calls? Way beyond reasonable. When will they start opening our mail?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: This is such a tough question, and it's something that Rick and I talk about all the time (although he's much more up on it than I am.) As a culture, we are fascinated by spying--just look at a list of movies in recent years, or TV shows--and yet WE don't want to be spied on. Can you have it both ways?  Data mining has been going on in law enforcement for years, as in tracking regular phone calls to certain suspect numbers, which then allows law enforcement to get warrants to LISTEN to phone calls if it is judged there is probably cause.  And I'm okay with that. I think. But then, I've been doing a lot of research this last year on white phosphorous grenades--is the FBI going to show up at my door?

Now, with everything we do electronically, data mining is inevitable.  Just stay off the Internet, you say?  Your local grocery store tracks your purchases. The only way to stay out of any database would be to make only cash transactions in person, and I'm not even sure about that.

I do think there should be limits on how much access there is to our emails, texts, and phone usage. But on the other hand, I think people are incredibly naive about what they do make public--"I'm going to Belize and my house will be empty for a week! The key is under the mat!" No social media gives anyone a right to privacy!!! My personal motto is, "If you don't want the world to know, don't put it out there!" Come on, folks.

Maybe we should all go back to writing letters... We still trust the US Mail, right?

 HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I remember, several years ago, people started contacting me in my role as "Help Me Hank" for TV. The emails would say--"Can you believe it??? You can go on line and find out people's NAMES and ADDRESSES and phone numbers. You can find out how much their homes cost, and who they bought them from. They're invading our PRIVACY!"

 Yeah, I would say. That name and address thing, kind of like...the phone book? And the mortgage stuff..kind of like the public info easily available at the registry of deeds?

 But it's scarier, I think, because it's so fast. And what if you're in NYC and don't have the LA phone book? No problem. It's all so accessible. Not to mention the stuff we willingly give on social media: "Went to Las Vegas for the weekend!" "Love my new Uggs!"  Those bits of info are incredibly valuable. And we've given UP our privacy.

 (And there's a bit of it that's--good. I like to see the shoe ads on my page..not so much the "anti-aging" ones, but it could be looked at as a...service.)

 That said: The governent listening to conversations on the phone? Of course that's invasive, and terrifying, and those who say "if you don't have something to hide,you shouldn't care" are missing something--like the constititional protecton against illegal search.

 On the other hand: When the bad guys attack, we all say--why didn't our national security people know about that? 

 But didn't the court just say theres no proof there's ever been an attack stopped as a result of those listeners?

 What would you do, if you were in charge?

Lucy Burdette: this is a hard topic on all sides. Ever since the tragedy that occurred on 9/11, I feel grateful that our security people (whomever they may be) are working to keep a handle on the "bad guys." Remember how terrifying it was to board a plane after 9/11? On the other hand, what sets our country apart from other countries is our ability to maintain private lives. It's a very difficult balancing act.

In the end, I am not a fan of Edward Snowden. I do think his acts have forced us into some critically difficult conversations. But I can't help but think that maybe there was another way to go about it. Oh and one more thing. I had to stop watching the show Homeland, even though I think it was brilliantly done. Because the crazy things that Carrie did, including bugging the Marine's home while his family was out of the house, made me way too anxious. There's a reason I write lighter mysteries:).

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As a former lawyer, I'm a big fan of the constitution. It's not just the penumbral right to privacy being encroached upon. I think the protections the founding fathers wrote into the Bill of Rights - the right to speak and to assemble, the right to be safe from searches except on warrants obtained through reasonable suspicion, the right to a speedy and public trial, the right to hold property free from seizure except by due process of law - are all under attack. The problem is, they're under attack from us.

Maybe we, as United States Citizens, have lived so long in the safety of the world's most enduring democracy, we've come to take it for granted. We think we can give away bits and pieces of our freedoms - just a sliver, just under these circumstances, only to protect us from bad people. Forgetting the lessons of so much of history: once you surrender a little piece of freedom, it becomes easier and easier to surrender more. And oh, so very hard to get it back again.


SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: I've put off writing on this because I really haven't made up my mind. While I'm not an admirer of Edward Snowdon's, he may have inadvertently all done us a favor by starting this conversation.

And I say that as someone who's researched anthrax online for THE PRIME MINISTER'S SECRET AGENT. Yes, Winston Churchill and his scientists were developing anthrax, along with mustard gas, during World War II — something not known to the British people then. How many things are going on in our name today? (And how many watch lists am I on for having done this research?)

In terms of censorship, though, both the U.S. and UK governments were upfront about it during World War II — people's letters were assumed to be read and sometimes passages considered sensitive were blacked out by censors. In many ways I think if this censorship had come publicly in the heels on 9/11, people wouldn't have minded. In some ways, I still don't mind. But, still, I keep coming back to that quote of Benjamin Franklin's — those who sacrifice their freedom for safety deserve neither.

RHYS: So much food for thought here and something interesting...when I tried to link our various names to our websites Blogger allowed me to do Hank, Hallie and Lucy but not Deb or me. We're obviously on the wanted list because we write about a foreign country!

So do let us know what you think... is it worth giving up our privacy for national security?