COMMENT-- SCANNER + CAMERA = TERRORIST!!??! Re: [MilCom] OFF-TOPIC - Photographers Say Police Harass Them

[Ken]

GG ....Thanks for the post.

Surely, now when one has a scanner, still or video camera, binoculars, &
note pad/pen they sure are going to meet the current critieria of suspicious
activities NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE!!!.   Thow this into being next to the
military air base fence line and you've got the ingredients of a full
fledged security response.

Now I don't blame the security or law enforcement folks.. They've got their
orders that they have to follow and how do you really differentiate between
the good or bad guys without checking them out?

Also lets face it most of the security type jobs can be real boring most of
the times.  If someone comes next to or even at a relatively distance view
from the fence line, it's just kind of exciting for them to respond to this
anyways.  Also who wants to be responsible on "their watch" for letting a
potential terrorist get away?

... Some military airfields/airports allow plane watching, photographing, &
scanning without a problem... others you will get an immediate security
response...  Same applies to other transport type activies (railroads,
etc.).. Although I haven't seen any recent posts indicating folks are doing
any "on scene" milcom monitoring -- so perhaps most folks have either been
scared away by personal experience or something they read in the news media
or on the internet.

I guess to a certain extent as a country we've been taken over by paranoia..
To a certain extent terrorism has won -- Just look at the amount of
resources (money, people, & materials/equipment) that have thrown into
trying to prevent another attack!!.  You know I've got a business associate
who is even considering moving his family to an island in the Canadian
maritime provinces to get away from it all, so to speak!

Surely WE as harmless scanner nerds, relish the opportunity to be up close
to hear  & feel that jet blast/wind,  see the aircraft (e.g. the under belly
of a C5 on final approach at 100 feet!!!),, as well as listen to the radio
communications -- it's really been terrific... Sadly, I think that, unless
it's an authorized open house/air show most of these spontaneous adventures
are just not going to possible in the future...  Hopefully I'm wrong!!!  Too
bad there can't be some accommodation for us!

Ken
Springfield MA Monitoring Area

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "GG" <mystic at ikansas.com>
To: "Air Comms Southwest" <AirCommSouthwest at yahoogroups.com>; "MILCOM"
<milcom at mailman.qth.net>; "Reach Hunters" <Reach_Hunters at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 3:54 PM
Subject: [MilCom] OFF-TOPIC - Photographers Say Police Harass Them


> Remember, this could happen to you when you are taking pictures at the
> airport outside the fence or that train hauling circus equipment or that
> building you photographed so you could build it on that diorama for your
> model display.
>
> -----------------------------------------
> Photographers Say Police Harass Them
> By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE, AP
>
> SEATTLE (July 16) - Ian Spiers had just hours to finish an assignment for
> his photography class. He was taking shots of a railroad bridge near the
> Ballard Locks when an officer with a German shepherd approached him, asked
> him what he was doing and requested some ID.
> Later, he was questioned and photographed by a Homeland Security agent.
snip..snip....