[Leica] OT - another horror story about photos and the Patriot Act

[philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)]

Your country is not at war. They make you just think it is.
---
> From: Adam Bridge <abridge@gmail.com>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 12:36:40 -0700
> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Cc: jsbridge@idea-processing.com
> Subject: Re: [Leica] OT - another horror story about photos and the Patriot
> Act
> 
> Ah the joys of adolescent angst! It's sad that he didn't seem to even
> THINK about the times in which he's living. In the United States since
> 9/11 we're on a war footing as far as security is concerned. For most
> students this isn't obvious, but to police and those required to
> protect vital infrastructure, it's very real and takes a LOT of
> resources.
> 
> If this student had (1) been thoughtful and (2) not waited to the last
> minute he would have realized that he was photographing in what is the
> equivalent of a WW II mentality with regard to sabotage.
> 
> So what's the right thing to do? Well telling people what you want to
> do, introducing yourself to law enforcement, and actually asking for
> permission for your project.
> 
> Case in point: I want to sit at the end of the runway at Sacramento
> International Airport and take photographs down the runway (from
> outside the fence of course) of the aircraft as they rotate and lift
> off. You don't even have to be SMART to realize that this will attract
> the attention of security personnel. A long lens looks awfully like a
> weapon and I'd expect someone to be interested in what I'm doing.
> 
> Critical infrastructure is being guarded. That's real. It's a fact.
> Needlessly putting yourself in a position where you are in conflict
> with the local authorities can create these situations. Now I don't
> know the precise location of the locks in question. BUT...if they were
> connected to a passage route for nuclear material from say the
> shipyard at Bremerton to Hanford or were involved in the route for the
> shipment of other sensitive materials, then I'd assume that local law
> enforcement would be edgy, especially around the time of transport.
> 
> There are not many photographers on this list who were practicing
> during WW II. I wonder what responses the taking of photos with a
> tripod would have elicited from them? Probably not too friendly.
> 
> The same photographer would have had just as nasty a reception if he
> had been taking photos inside a rock concert venue. Try it and see.
> 
> I am not saying that law enforcement is not over-reacting. I believe
> they are. But they are being told by the Dept of Homeland Security (a
> title that belongs more to Nazi Germany than anything American, in my
> opinion) that we're in a state of war and they have to protect our
> infrastructure from terrorists. That's why a little thoughtfulness,
> and a little less concern about issues of control, would do a lot.
> 
> Adam Bridge
> 
> On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 14:11:34 -0500 (GMT-05:00), Frank Farmer
> <frankandaubrey@mindspring.com> wrote:
>> See Ian Spiers' account of his interation with several local and federal 
>> law
>> enforcement
>> agents while trying to complete his 'motion' assignment for his 
>> photography
>> class.  Scary
>> disgusting.
>> 
>> http://www.brownequalsterrorist.com/artiststatement/
>> 
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