Both you long-time readers know that I often wonder about things and do my fair share of pondering. I guess I now have something else to add to my ponder list.
Some time back, I was asked to look at one of the bathroom stall doors at our church. Something, or someone, had broken a bracket that anchored the door to the wall. The bracket was cast aluminum about a quarter of an inch thick, so it took some amount of force, but the bracket was broken. While attempting to remove the broken bracket from the wall, it dawned on me that the stall partitions in most public bathrooms are assembled using tamperproof hardware. Obviously, removing the old and installing the new bracket without special tools was a challenge, but I got to wondering — is there really such a big demand for these partitions that people are stealing them?
So now instead of wondering about more important things, I have to wonder about this. I suppose if they didn’t use this type of hardware, some jerk would whip out their Swiss Army Knife and take everything apart just as a joke on the next guy. Or, maybe they’re used just to make life more complicated and interesting for people like me. Then some people have the attitude that if it’s not bolted down, it’s free for the taking — and, if it can be unbolted, it’s not bolted down.
Just another one of the strange things I observe — maybe it’s to prevent vandalism or something like that, but my pondering has led me to believe there may be more to it than that. I’m thinking that it may be part of the Patriot Act implemented by Homeland Security. If you think about it, easily removable bathroom partitions in public buildings give terrorists a clear advantage.
Another thought is that in certain decors, they make great room dividers. By the way, if anyone is interested in some slightly used bathroom stall doors, give me a call….
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