PARANOIA

You recall the early George Lucas feature THX-1138 was a key influence on PARANOIA. Remember how, in the final chase scene, THX-1138 escapes the pursuing security forces because -- well, no, I won't spoil it. But to those who recall that plot twist, I present the mayor of Wellford, South Carolina and her recently announced no-chase policy:

The Mayor of Wellford is defending her policy which bans police officers in that city from chasing suspects. Sallie Peake says the policy also includes vehicle chases along with pursuits on foot.

A memo issued on September 2nd from Peake to all Wellford officers reads:

“As of this date, there are to be no more foot chases when a suspect runs. I do not want anyone chasing after any suspects whatsoever.“

WSPA first reported the mandate on Wednesday after an anonymous citizen faxed a copy of the memo to our newsroom. Peake was out of town and unavailable for comment. On Friday, reporter Chris Cato caught up with her in her office and questioned her about the origin of the policy. Peake says she issued the mandate because several officers have been injured during chases, driving up insurance costs for the town.

“The officers are costing us more money on insurance than most citizens here in the city of Wellford are even earning,“ says Peake.

She says the city is paying out $20,000 annually in workers’ compensation claims, much of it due to the police force. In July, two officers wrecked their cruisers while chasing suspects and had to go to the hospital for minor treatment. The police chief says three officers have been injured during foot chases in the last two years.

Reporter Chris Cato, in quizzing Mayor Peake about the policy, says she became "defensive and irate," certainly an inexplicable response to his barrage of inane and silly questions. Full story at the WSPA-TV Channel 7 news site. (Commendation point to loyal citizen Veton at Paranoia-Live.net.)

The cover art for the upcoming ULTRAVIOLET clearance rulebook may be foundat the Mongoose Publishing website - assuming, of course, you've got the security clearance to see it.

Ryan Sager of True/Slant's Neuroworld blog summarizes a Nature editorial about weaponized drugs that decrease aggression and increase trust:

Imagine a future where the Iranian regime didn’t need to spend weeks in the streets beating, killing, and jailing protesters to put down the reform movement. Imagine in this future that the beatings would be replaced with something gentler, but ultimately more sinister: non-lethal, weaponized drugs designed to decrease aggression and increase trust.

From the unsigned Nature opinion piece, "Biologists napping while work militarized":

In my opinion, all use of novel non-lethal agents such as fentanyl for law enforcement should be prohibited, or at least heavily restricted. If, instead, we sit on our hands we must accept that new incapacitating agents are just the beginning. We will be, as the British Medical Association concluded in its 2007 study, The Use of Drugs as Weapons, “knowingly moving towards the top of a ’slippery slope’ at the bottom of which is the spectre of ‘militarization’ of biology” including “intentional manipulation of peoples’ emotions, memories, immune responses or even fertility”.