I'm afraid I feel the need to jump in w/ 1 more post on school frenzy in my area of the U.S. Just heard on the news yesterday (Thurs.), that one of the area high schools had put a new policy in effect, in an effort to safeguard against bombs. They have put chain locks through all of the lockers, so that no students can use them for the rest of the year & they are requiring all students to carry their books in see-through bags. I am curious to see how many of these things are just a fear reaction & will blow over in time & how many will stand as policy. Although I have the impression that we enjoy more personal freedoms in the U.S. than, perhaps, in other countries, I think this is a trend which should concern us. The balance between personal freedom & public safety seems to be shifting in rather significant ways.

BTW, I think this will be my last post on this thread. It has been very meaningful & helpful to me & I am honored that it has been made a 2-parter! If this is in the "BS" category, I guess I am not a music purist. Nonetheless, it is not my desire to offend any, so I think I'll back off, at least for awhile.

best to you all, my friends,

bbc