[KYHAM] Re: "Paranoid 101"

[Ron Dodson]

While I will openly admit that as a County Emergency
Management Director I get paid to be a little on the
paranoid side planning-wise, I did not mean to come across
that severely in the training material this week.

In many countries, being VERY paranoid is the only way to
stay alive and we are fortunate that we do not live in such
a place.  My chief objective in the latter comments of this
week's material on being mindful of our eadio and personal
communications is that we, as US citizens, often discuss
matters without regard to who else is listening.  We take
for granted our safety and in so doing, sometimes say more
than we realize.
While it is likely no terrorist would care about Aunt
Martha's favorite cake recipe or your kid's shoe size etc.,
info from a worker on a military base, power plant,
refinery, etc. talking as they drive home over two meters
about the new shipment of whatever coming in or leaving
might be terribly interesting to the wrong people.

Say some incident DOES occur and we are asked to help with
communications.  It is generally known (I HOPE) that names
of the deceased and injured are not to be passed over ham
radio.  But, what about some other traffic asking for or
giving what could be delicate information.  Amateurs need to
be on their toes when in such situatuions of response so as
not to give out information which can be intercepted and
used to further complicate matters.  

On another angle, the day of the jest has changed!  How many
of us used to hear the phrase used when kidding around and
someone would tell friends or family, "If you do or tell
___, I'll shoot you (Hee Hee)!  Now days, someone could call
this terroristic threatening.  No kidding!
A few years ago (back before 9/11) we were in a restuarant
eating and a big group of college kids came in apparently
from some big debate somewhere.  They yelled, laughed and
loudly discussed their thoughts on WHO and HOW something
needed to be "blown away" for the "good of mankind". Today,
many hearing this would run for the phone to call the police
or FBI and then everybody might have some explaining to do.
Sad to say, we need to be a little more careful in making
jokes/comments in public forums than we used to.  We might
understand that we are kidding, but will someone else who
overhears us?    

Paranoid? Maybe, but better safe than sorry.  Especially
when our own AND the reputation of amateur radio in general
is at stake.

73, 
Ron, KA4MAP  


Chuck Adkins K8CPA wrote:
> 
> Welcome to paranoid 101.
> 
> 73
> 
> At 04:01 AM 12/8/02 -0500, you wrote:
> >Message: 1
> >Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 20:21:50 -0500
> >From: Ron Dodson <ka4map@bbtel.com>
> >To: "kyham@mailman.qth.net" <kyham@mailman.qth.net>,
> >         "Christian Co. Emerg. Services" <CCES@onelist.com>,
> >         "kyaresdist9@topica.com" <kyaresdist9@topica.com>
> >Subject: [KYHAM] KEN Training for Dec. 9: The Homeland Security Color
> >Based Threat System
> >  and YOU!