Computer security -- Fiction; Didactic fiction; Privacy, Right of -- Fiction; Records -- Access control -- Fiction
"Why the hell do you think there's so much confusion at ECCO and
CERT and the other computer SWAT teams? NSA interferes at every
step," Tyrone responded. "And no, I am not taking this too far.
I haven't taken it far enough. I sit with these guys and they
talk as though I'm not there. I attend meetings where the poli-
cies and goals of ECCO are established. Shit, I trust the dope-
smoking hippies from Berkeley more than anyone from the Fort."
The bitterness came through clearly, but Scott could see it
wasn't focussed on any one person or thing.
But Scott began to understand. For over 20 years Tyrone had
insulated himself from the politics of the job and had seen only
what he wanted to see; a national Police Force enforcing the
laws. Tyrone loved the chase of the crime. The bits and pieces,
the endless sifting of evidence, searching for clues and then
building a case from shreds. The forensics of modern criminology
had been so compelling for Tyrone Duncan that he had missed the
impact that the mass proliferation of technology would have on
his first love - The Constitution.
The sudden revelations and realizations of the last several weeks
set his mind into high gear. Tyrone introspectively examined his
beliefs; he tried to review them from the perspective of an
idealistic young man in his twenties. What would he have done
then? He realized the answer was easier found now that he was a
man of experience: Do Something About It.
Far from a rebel looking for a cause, the cause jumped all over
Tyrone with a vengeance and the tenacity of a barnacle.
All at once Scott knew that Tyrone was serious and that he would
be a better friend if he congratulated instead of castigated.
"You know, I kind of understand a little. Same thing with my ex-
wife."
"Hey, that's not fair, man," Tyrone vigorously objected. "Maggie
was a dingbat . . ."
"I know that and she knew that," Scott agreed, "but that was what
made her Maggie." Tyrone nodded, remembering her antics. "And
in some ways we still love each other. After ten years of fun,
great fun, she wanted to get off of the planet more than I did,
so she went to California." The softness in Scott's voice said
he still cared about Maggie, that she was a cherished part of his
life, that was and would remain in the past.
Scott shook off the melancholy and continued. "It's the same for
you. You're married to the FBI, and while you still love it, you
need to let it go to move on with your life."
"Y'know, I don't know why everyone says you're so stupid," Tyrone
said with respect. "UFO's aside, you can actually make sense."
"Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't really matter. But I'm doing exactly
what I want to do. And the day it stops being fun, I'm outta
here."
"Isn't that the arrogance of wealth speaking?" Tyrone asked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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