Posted on 06/15/2004 5:46:09 PM PDT by grellis
The other day, a nameless newbie posted a thread asking for advice on choosing a community in which he could live without a car. How's that for a run-on sentence? Many of us, myself included, responded with suggestions about communities which have good public transportation systems. The newbie (as they so often do) did not bother to reply to any of the suggestions. Big deal, right? Story ends there, right? For me, no. The story does not end there.
For some reason, I found myself thinking about that thread today. Who was this newbie to whom we were so generous in offering our suggestions and advice? Was this man honestly looking for advice on where he and his wife will live? Does it seem believable that anyone, out of the blue, would take the time to become a FReeper just to ask a bunch of strangers about something so easily googled? The more I thought about it, the less sense it made until, to me, it didn't make any sense whatsoever. It was bankrupt of sense (da-dum kshhh). So what gives?
I soon found myself thinking something which would never, EVER have entered my mind before September 11, 2001. I found myself questioning the motives of a stranger who was interested in information about public transportation. I found myself thinking, "I have just become a tool in the war on terror." Sounds ridiculous, right? It does to me. It is ridiculous to think that a would-be terrorist would log onto Free Republic in order to find out where the easy targets are. This is what I have become; this is my aftermath of 9/11; this is what some homicidal, islamofascists have turned me into: an official wearer of a tinfoil hat.
ping
ping
I had some dental work done today. Seems to have had a lasting effect.
Sometimes tinfoil works.
Have we heard from the fellow again?
True that we all must remain vigilant, but it hardly seems like something to beat yourself up about in conversing with a stranger about the state of public transportation in your own locale. We are an open society, after all.
ping
Not so much as an exclamation point. I read so many weird things here--and everywhere else on the web, for that matter--that , most of the time, things just wash over me. For some reason, this one I can't shake.
He received no information on that thread that he couldn't have gotten from going round to the various departments of transportation and reading their websites. Or for that matter those annual "liveability" reviews that somebody does for all the major metro areas.
If he couldn't get that info by other methods, he couldn't organize an orgy in a bordello anyhow.
Not weird at all. People have asked relocation advice LOTS of times on FR. After wide-ranging discussions, people have even FReepmailed me to ask specifics about neighborhoods in metro Atlanta.
I myself have asked for input on various topics . . . both silly, like questions about my dogs and horses from other doggy and horsey people, and not so silly, like arguments to help my daughter with the pro-aborts in her (Episcopal) religion class, and advice from Catholics on FR about joining the Catholic church and finding a good orthodox parish. (You'll note that those two inquiries - though they took place over a year apart - are subtly related!)
Like the Jihad said, quit beating yourself up. (And I guess with a name like his, he oughtta know, right? < g > )
Follow your gut feeling. I can follow you on this one.
I doubt, no matter waht the motives, that the person got much useful information. But, yes I agree, that people need to be careful about information they post on the internet.
If it really is giving you a bad feeling, ask the Admin Mod (without his disclosing any confidential info) if the poster appears genuine or bogus. After all, if he's posting from a gummint computer in South Dakota, he'd not be much of a threat, would he? < big g >
Good catch, Grellis. I should have thought about that aspect of it but didn't.
That's is also information they could have found on the web, but not with the personal insights.
Damn. I *knew* I should've mentioned how good Berkeley's transportation system is ;-)
Thanks for the ping. I, too, find myself wondering why people do such things. Most newbies on any forum will post at least a few replies on existing threads before venturing into posting their own thread. On FR, they might post a few news articles before venturing into the gray area of posting their own vanity thread. It's certainly reasonable to question why someone's first post on FR would be their own vanity article.
A terrorist wanting public transportation information could more easily "google" for it than to register on a conservative forum and query the members for advice. If I was going to get paranoid about this one, I'd guess it was more personal to Free Republic. Maybe it was someone trying to find out where certain FReepers live. That thought isn't too pleasant either.
LOL! However...
People have asked relocation advice LOTS of times on FR.
I know its not the first time a FReeper has inquired about relocating. This wasn't someone like dead, or chance 33, or just amy, or registered, or any other FReeper that's been here a while and has come to know other FReepers. The thread was posted the very day the man first logged on.
What bothers me the most is the way its sticking to me. Just a creepy feeling that I am capable of this kind of paranoid thought.
Egad, that is creepy!!!
ROTFLMAO! Boston still has the "T", doesn't it??!
You're tellin' me!
Maybe Admin Moderator will take a peek at the original thread and the guy's homepage and let us know if anything looks funny.
Original thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1152515/posts
prost's homepage: http://www.freerepublic.com/~prost/
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