Where the idea came from that people in the United States never walk anywhere, I sure don't know. It's patently absurd.

I live in a residential area, and there are people walking past my front windows all the time. Walking the dog, jogging, walking to a nearby bus stop or to one of two business districts (grocery stores, pharmacies, five book stores, restaurants, etc.) within about four or five blocks (not worth cranking up the car—if they even have one—to go buy a quart of milk or a loaf of bread), or just out for a stroll. And in either of the business districts, there are people walking everywhere. There are half a dozen churches within a ten block radius of where I live and lots of people walk to church on Sunday mornings. About twelve blocks away, Seattle Central Community College, and not far from there, Seattle University. Students walking everywhere

Lots of foot traffic.

The oft repeated statement that people in the U. S. always jump into their cars to go to a store three blocks away is a crock. It bears damned little relationship to the reality that I can see out of my front window.

Now, if someone is standing out in front of my apartment building and looking, I don't pay much attention to that. It's a 100 year old building, well maintained, and it has a brass plaque in front designating it as a historical building. Architecturally quite interesting. Not all that unusual for people walking by to stop and look. But—if they're lurking about and trying to peer through windows, I might well be tempted to pick up the phone. The East Precinct of the Seattle Police Department is nine blocks from here. They could have a squad car here in a couple of minutes.

So, what's the big deal about Dylan? And this hysteria about Dylan being stopped and asked a few questions? After all, he was behaving in a manner that many people would regard as suspicious. And the whole exchange between Dylan and the police was polite. This makes this country—or New Jersey—a "police state?"

What if the exact same thing happened in London? Or Belfast? Or Truro? Or Toronto? Or Vancouver? Or Winnepeg? Or Skandia, Kansas?

Do people just enjoy having themselves a tizzy?

Don Firth