Stopped by police....ended positively

I was driving through Washington State and I saw a sign that said:
"If we win the war but loose our freedoms, did we really win?"
I thought it was a profound statement. Just thought I'd share it.

^should have stopped and taken a picture...

I will next time i'm in the area

I was stopped at the top step of the Jefferson Memorial three weeks ago. The guard was really insisting I show him a permit or leave. But I was shooting a B&G and didn't expect payment. They are friends so I was just shooting for fun, and I actually called to see if I needed a permit, only for commercial purposes, which this wasn't. Anyway, the guard was very apologetic and I went to the other side of the building. Wasn't a problem for me. I am a pro, but I shoot for free and people appreciate that. I get permission to shoot in all sorts of places because of it.

Berlotti Photography wrote in post #5403361
Not sure if you are serious or not but I was saying that most people with "any camera" are just someone trying to take a nice pic. But there is always the chance that the one time someone is shooting, they are up to no good. I am just speaking from experience.

Sadly, my comment was serious. I've seen far to much use of the "always a chance of a terrorist" argument in justifying random searches and invasion of personal integrity. If you, or anyone else, wish to argue for restrictions of personal freedom for the sake of security, you could at least try to back up these claims with actual number rather than just making them up?

But I am now very close to OT here on POTN (no politics), so I'll try to be quiet...

word... the airport thing gets repeated over and over here... all the police questioning and all that is just to maintain the image of security - did the 9-11-01 hijackers use SLR or any form of photo surveillance? no- they went to flight school, booked themselves some tickets and threw a box cutter or swiss army knife in their bag... no SLRs...

seriously, if a guy wants to shoot a airliner down, he doesnt need an SLR to figure out the path they fly every "x" minute (not to mention a video camera would be better suited for that task)... just go sit at the gas station across the street from the runway and fill up your tank or pull into McDonalds or the airport parking garage or get a job as a custodian... 1 eye is all you need to know in what direction the planes fly in a very repetive manner... come on... stopping photogs toting white lenses and slrs in the name of "national security" is bogus... and i agree with the earlier post that a P&S is a lot less conspicuous and would serve the purpose just fine anyway...

I love this one
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=VfQrDK9YHas

login wrote in post #5412367
hat if we gave terrrorism and terrorist attacks no airtime and no thought about it, would it stop... the whole idea is to instill fear, hence the name... if it made no advertising (media reports) and no one ever took 'anti-terror' measures, then would they just decide to use another avenue to get our attention and have us listen to them.

Exactly! People don't seem to realize this, that most terrorism is just a last resort to get a message across.

The one things that REALLY irques me is that while a dozen P&S's can be snapping away all around me, most with more MP and zoom (and those are the two things that really matter, aye?), I'll get pulled up for having an SLR.
People can't seem to comprehend that no, my 'camera' does not zoom, and no, it doesn't have 100 megapixels.

Grrrrrrr.

Wow. Another political thread.

When I read content like that, I think you need to spend much more time traveling and studying to adjust your perception of "people".

;}

SuzyView wrote in post #5404593
But I was shooting a B&G and didn't expect payment.

What's a B&G?

LBaldwin wrote in post #5412453
I love this one
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=VfQrDK9YHas

He was fine till he started taunting a little at the end. That was a little overboard. Saying "You need to learn the law" type stuff, while following the police is just not called for. Take your victory and be happy.

WMS wrote in post #5399975
I have about a 60 second tolerance for this type of harassment, Either they have a probably cause, or they get to meet my attorney, something they would rather not do. The last time I was stopped in a DWI checkpoint as soon as the officer approached I asked them "What the h*** is your probably cause for stopping me?" The department loss a very large civil suit over the way this checkpoint was run, and No I was not part of it, as I was told to drive carefully.

Wayne

Wayne

"probably cause" -- made me laugh.

Get over it or do something about it. The citizens of our countries (the UK & US) have been victims of the war on terror from the start. Our loss of traditional freedoms and rights is one of the greatest casualties of this conflict. These unique freedoms are what prides us as a collective society, and it's shameful to see our government's sacrifice them with utter disregard.

I can't stand the justification that "Oh terrorists use cameras to plan their attacks!". Terrorists also eat, should we put McDonalds on high alert? The cop in your situation was very tactful and friendly, which is good policing in general. Not only did he inoffensively assert that you weren't a threat of any sort, he also validated your authenticity via your business card. Furthermore he likely matched your personal details from the vehicle registry with your business card to put all concerns to rest. Shame there aren't more of him in general, not just in the police force.

TeeTee wrote in post #5423265
Get over it or do something about it. The citizens of our countries (the UK & US) have been victims of the war on terror from the start. Our loss of traditional freedoms and rights is one of the greatest casualties of this conflict. These unique freedoms are what prides us as a collective society, and it's shameful to see our government's sacrifice them with utter disregard.

I can't stand the justification that "Oh terrorists use cameras to plan their attacks!". Terrorists also eat, should we put McDonalds on high alert? The cop in your situation was very tactful and friendly, which is good policing in general. Not only did he inoffensively assert that you weren't a threat of any sort, he also validated your authenticity via your business card. Furthermore he likely matched your personal details from the vehicle registry with your business card to put all concerns to rest. Shame there aren't more of him in general, not just in the police force.

Let's not forget most of them drive cabs...

TeeTee wrote in post #5423265
...Our loss of traditional freedoms and rights is one of the greatest casualties of this conflict.

Name one. I don't believe that I have lost any of my 'rights'...nothing has changed in that regard from my perspective. And let's not forget...its the 'bleeding hearts' in both countries that have prevented the authorities from using profiling. By not allowing them to do so, everyone is equally "suspicious looking".

argyle wrote in post #5425745
Name one. I don't believe that I have lost any of my 'rights'...nothing has changed in that regard from my perspective. And let's not forget...its the 'bleeding hearts' in both countries that have prevented the authorities from using profiling. By not allowing them to do so, everyone is equally "suspicious looking".

Habeas corpus.

Let's not get into this for the sake of civility. Your justification for racial profiling really doesn't indicate any rationale to me.