There are parts of the US that are pretty bad. Whether or not they are really bad, or the perception of being bad makes them bad, I can't say. When I was down in the Florida Keys, the doors of the house were rarely closed, let alone locked. There was a large Doberman in residence, that I would take for a walk before dawn most mornings. One morning I came out onto the porch with the dog, and found a guy standing there. He was a budy of the son of the lady who owned the house (I was just renting a room), but he had come into the house and the dog had done no more than raise his head for a look. I guess that does make him a watch dog, but not more than watch.

I would also like to nominate Moonman as Instigator of Chit Chat. Aside from a couple loonies, he's consistently started more diverse threads than anybody of late.