USA Today has an article titled: Experts Close the Lid on ‘Suitcase Nukes’. It quotes a few experts in making the point that a nuclear bomb that can be carried in a suitcase by one man is highly unlikely. I suppose the article was prompted by the currently running “24″ season in which Jack Bauer is trying to catch some terrorists with suitcase nukes.

The experts are probably right, but so what if they are? Do they think terrorists are going to abandon their mission because they can’t fit their bomb into a suitcase? They don’t have to get a nuke inside a building to wreak havoc; they just have to get it inside or very near a city. They can transport it inside a small truck or large SUV. Today the size of the device is not the limiting issue. The limiting issue is the availability of the materials and expertise.

The suitcase nuke threat is a creation of Hollywood and the media. It is not a real-world issue. Don’t feel safer because you know that nuclear bombs can’t be carried in suitcases.

The New York Times reports that protectors, too, gather profits from identity theft:

It is not just criminals who are profiting from identity theft; financial institutions are making money, too. Fear of identity theft has helped give rise to a nearly billion-dollar business in credit-monitoring services sold by the major credit bureaus – companies like Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – as well as direct marketers and banks.

I have always been suspicious of industries peddling security. Why? Because it is in their best interest for us to feel insecure, not for us to feel secure. How many home security systems are going to be sold if no homes are being burglarized? How many anti-virus applications are going to be sold if no computers are being infected? The claim that the reason there are no burglaries or infections is that you have purchased and installed security can only go so far. Remember the story about the man standing in the middle of the street jumping around and waving his arms? When asked about his strange behavior he said that he was keeping the elephants away. How much are you willing to pay this man to guard your street?

I have no evidence that home security companies are burglarizing homes, that virus protection companies are spreading viruses, or that the credit bureaus are stealing identities. Most likely there are plenty of scumbags out there that do it on their own, but I’m still suspicious. After all, the protection rackets offered a form of security: If you pay us we won’t hurt you or trash your place of business.