Imagine the frustration of authorities in trying to deal with a random sniper.

Pity the law enforcement and security people who have to try to find who is responsible for the sniper-style shootings in the Washington, D.C., area. Is the guilty party (or parties) affiliated with some al-Qaida terror operation, a disgruntled former military person, a kill-crazy Hannibal Lecter wanna-be,or just an insane soul? The prospects are limitless. Everyone has a pet theory.

There also is the danger of copycat activity. Other deranged people can see the consternation and attention that the “original” has created and may want to get in on the action. All the while, of course, authorities and citizens have to tiptoe through their daily assignments and duties because they don’t know which way to turn. Where do you get a handle on something this ethereal?

Tips continue to pour in about alleged activities that might lead to apprehension of the person responsible for this latest attack on our safety. We can only hope that somebody sees something that will bring about an end to this madness.

Consider all the school events, such as athletic and band practices, that have had to be altered. Think how the presence of such a malevolent force in the Lawrence area would alter our daily lives, from children in school events right through adult activities of all kinds. Imagine being fearful of even walking across a supermarket parking lot because of the prospect of a bullet or bullets.

We are supposed to be a civilized people, but events of recent months and years have made it clear there remain many whom that process has dodged. There is Iraq’s dastardly Saddam Hussein, and there is the unsettling realization that the world has a lot more such people in positions to do harm.

But national leaders are one thing; an individual in a society who takes it upon himself or herself to carry out some weird vendetta is actually more terrifying. We have to trade on trust so much in life and when we feel that trust is betrayed by murderous anonymous criminals, we have to be shaken.

Of one thing we can be sure. Nobody on the globe is more eager to solve this terrible case than the enforcement men and women to whom we look for protection and guidance.

Clearly there is no limit to human imagination, both fair and foul.