----- Original Message -----

All: Our computer was recently entered by a hacker who removed personal documents, (current and deleted), and randomly sent them to people in our address book, also current and deleted! If you have recently received an e-mail from us that looked like it was intended for someone else or made no sense to you, be advised we did not send it and we apologize because it is apparent you too have become a receiving victim of this hacker. Both of our carriers, Bell South and Road Runner, have assured us that this virus is well known as a hacker's harassment tool and it will not damage either your or our computer. The  hacker apparently put the virus in our computer solely to harass, and this has caused Jeri to spend many hours on the phone with technical support to remove it and install a "firewall", to hopefully prevent future invasions of our privacy. It's too bad  honest people have to go to such time and expense in order to protect the peace and quiet of their personal lives from such scum! The authorities have been contacted, (local and otherwise), and tend to agree that the invasion was locally initiated and politically motivated and for that reason and for safety's sake we have been advised not to open future attachments from anyone. We regret that decision but until the person(s) is caught, (and that process has begun), it must remain so. They may  make arrangements to have our computer tower taken to a laboratory where its hard drive can be dissected to determine where and from whom the virus came. If we indeed go off line for this purpose you will be notified. In the meantime they want us to develop a list of those who received these bogus e-mails, (plus copies of same if possible). We ask your help on this as soon as possible. Again we apologize for the inconvenience and confusion this may have caused, and most of all we thank you for your understanding, your help, and especially your support! This type activity is not Treasure Island, and it embarrasses all of those who care!   Leon and Jeri Atkinson  (Phone 727-360-7543). 

(End of email)

All of which brings to mind some great lines from a classic film:

"...I'm a book man. I believe everything in it was put in for a purpose. When in doubt, remember on board this ship, we do things by the book. Deviate from the book and you'd better have a half a dozen good reasons. And you'll still get an argument from me. And I don't lose arguments on board my ship. That's, uh, one of the nice things about being captain. "

"The ship's company will remember that I am your captain, your judge and your jury. You do your duty, and we may get along. Whatever happens, you'll do your duty."

"They were all disloyal. I tried to run the ship properly by the book, but they fought me at every turn...Ah, but the strawberries! That's, that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, and with, with geometric logic, that, that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox did exist. And I would have produced that key had they not pulled the Caine out of action.  I, I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officer."