[Leica] Photo student harassed in Seattle by Homeland Security

[jplaurel at spectare.com (Jim Laurel)]

This has been an interesting thread.

In this case, a citizen in good standing was harassed by authories, and 
effectively barred from doing something that is perfectly legal - in 
this case, photographing the Ballard Locks as part of a class 
assignment.  There is no prohibition on photography at the Locks.  If 
photographing certain buildings, bridges, power plants, or other 
facilities is to be illegal, then there should be laws that clearly say 
so.  There should either be postings notifying people, or a general 
policy prohibiting photography of certain things.  We could follow the 
lead of other free (TIC) countries like Syria, Iran, and Burma which 
have had such policies in place for many years.

And as far as I know, there is no requirement for US citizens to carry 
or produce ID, so long as no law has been violated.  How much longer 
will it be before police can arbitrarily demand "papers" from anyone 
they like?

As an upstanding, tax paying American citizen, I think it's only right 
and fair that I should be able to know the specific letter of the law, 
so that I may comply as required.  As long as I am in compliance with 
the law, the authorities should have no right to impede my activities 
in any way.  As it is, I no longer feel comfortable that I know when I 
am stepping over the line.  Today, almost any photograph, viewed in a 
certain light, can be construed as a national threat.

How are we going to stop terrorism?  Is it going to be by ceding our 
freedoms and investigating everybody's private lives?  Or is it more 
effective to look at the real causes of terrorism and how foreign 
policy contributes to those causes?

--Jim