X-Message-Number: 17871 From: "john grigg" <> Subject: disturbing possibilities... Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 00:08:56 Hugh Hixon wrote: There is always someone at Alcor. This is one of the reasons. At their last meetings, the Alcor board and the Patient Care Trust board agreed to purchase an electronic security system. Combined with the human presence, this makes us a difficult and unattractive target for the parasites and predators, who generally do not regard face-to-face confrontation as cost-effective. The building is sprinklered. At least one of the staff has a cell phone, making a second communications path. (end) First of all, I am impressed by the honesty of ALCOR in sharing the story about the broken window. What the repairman said about burglary gangs testing the waters with BB guns was very disturbing to say the least. I am relieved to know ALCOR is going to install an alarm system, and already has an around the clock human presense. I realize security can only be improved in currently affordable ways. Still, I wish more could be done. I could envision a scenario where perhaps less then competant burglars break-in, and having overpowered the one human defender, decide to seriously vandalize the facility out of sheer spite and frustration at there not being more valuable things to steal. How do you think a group of burglars might act when they realize(not having done their homework) that ALCOR is home to frozen bodies where the goal is to eventually bring them back? Let's hope they are "professional" burglars and not "smash and run" vandals. The odds of dewars being violated are small even with a burglary, but not to be utterly discounted. ALCOR would have a difficult time living down the horror of its clients in biostasis having been hacked to bits or burned beyond repair. And it is possible we could encounter a group of semi-competant criminals who burglarize ALCOR and then "on a lark" decide to make the papers by putting some effort into destroying the frozen bodies. It could happen. Again, I realize ALCOR is doing all the can with current resources. I just hope besides having a cell phone always on them, the one night-time resident will also have a firearm they are trained and licensed for. This way, even if surprised, he/she will have some chance of holding them off, at least till he/she can make a 911 call. best wishes, John _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17871