Bruce has quoted a poem in his blog post for today:

If you see something,
Say something.
If you say something,
Mean something.
If you mean something,
You may have to prove something.
If you can’t prove something,
You may regret saying something.

I think the best lines are actually

If you shoot something,
Eat something.
If you eat something,
Floss something.

Bruce brings forward a story about a man who has been accused of the equivalent of crying wolf. This is only slightly removed from yelling fire in a crowded theater. Apparently this man left a bag full of papers and then tried to call in a bomb threat.

My favorite lines are good security references too, but have little to do with the particular philosophical example of fraud and risk to the public.

Bruce often says if you ask amateurs to help with security work then expect amateur results. I think his post today is meant to support this.

I disagree for several reasons. One, intelligence functions best with a network of inputs rather than in isolation. There is always chatter and noise, but go for too much squelch and you lose vital signal. Two, experts all were once amateurs. Why not embrace and provide the opportunity? Three, the definition of expert is rarely accurate, especially with rapidly changing technology — kids can become more “expert” than even “trained” professionals — so who decides? Etc.

This takes me back to the customized billboards I created some time ago.