To Those Who Have Lost Faith,

It is interesting that the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, Sylvester Johnson, recently abolished the practice of polygraph as a pre-employment device.  This is because it takes a very heroic (or a very stupid) man to buck convention in the face of increasing pressure to reinforce security.  Especially since the notion of security after September 11th consists of reliance on the latest technology available to security agencies.  

Remember that ‘sources, materials, and methods’ are easy to sell on the market due to feeble minds, but the [FDA] has yet to officially sanction the validity of these materials and methods, polygraph in particular.

This is truly a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ approach to our everyday livelihood.  

But guileless in his rationale, Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson’s explanation for the monumental decision was so simple that even an eight-year old could follow his logic: Machines Cannot Replace Human Ingenuity!  In this affirmation, he clearly pronounced his preference for thorough background investigations, reliance on talent, and life/employment experience over what a piece of wood and metal coupled with a blind tiger could tell him.

God Bless Philly!  The City of Penn’s notion of Freedom.  The City of Courage!