Overheard Starbuck

"I've nothing against institutions: Boys Town, Masons, Act-up, SCLC, Mormons and that ilk."
---"One of my uncles was an Ilk."
"It's the institutions within these institutions that I see as a threat to freedom and democracy."
---"'It's the institutions within the institutions within these institutions, I worry about."
"Imagine if every mall cops--every security agency's-- primary allegiance is not to the public but to a nation-wide organization which dutifully does its job while also providing man-power and security for huge criminal enterprises using extortion, blackmail and a host of dirty tricks on groups and individuals secretly judged as too political, too poor and attractive, too effective, or too annoying? Thanks to Homeland Security grants and technological cloning and standardization, private and government security forces have created and control a hydra of real-time near constant surveillance. The security apparachiks within these organizations have gone way beyond the prevention of crimes against consumer items and private property. People are now property..."
---"Ok, ok. Very interesting; I've heard enough. I'm getting a headache. ...How about those Cubs--the bums?"