immortalpuppet Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 keeping with the topic in hand how many people on here who take pictures of busses/trains/planes have been put out by anti terror laws? My guess is none, bringing us back to the guff article that was linked. In some cases where people are enforcing the law and questioning what might be looked at as suspicious activity, normal people who do not have anything to hide are going to be questioned by the authorities. In the same way as you are not allowed to leave a vehicle unattended at the airport doors, it will inconvenience some but it is being done for a fucking good reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 keeping with the topic in hand how many people on here who take pictures of busses/trains/planes have been put out by anti terror laws? My guess is none, bringing us back to the guff article that was linked. My mate - a photographer based on the island - was stopped photographing in London by a cop. He told the cop he was within his rights and to foxtrot oscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 [quote name='Albert Tatlock' My mate - a photographer based on the island - was stopped photographing in London by a cop. He told the cop he was within his rights and to foxtrot oscar. He could have been taking photographs of the surveillance cameras. They wouldn't like that. Come to think of it are speed cameras part of the terror threat? They certainly terrorise me and I suspect they take photos of buses... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 it is being done for a fucking good reason. Granted to an extent. But it is also being done in a really crap and stupid way. Let me tell you why i think this. Lots of pro and semi pro and enthusiast photographers are being stopped and bothered - especially in British cities at the moment - including stock and fashion photographers who have previously always been allowed to go about their business without needing permits etc. I hear this anecdotally from people i trust in the business. The NUJ and many others have also been properly making an issue of this. It is well documented. The reason this is so idiotic is because terrorists (angry 20 somethings with the internet and garage chemistry sets) are not going to make it obvious what they are doing. They might very well pose as tourists - probably with tourist looking cameras. Or they will ride the bus and take pictures out of the window. Or use their camera phones. And they will grab screen shots off Google Earth. And look at the web cams and traffic cameras. The pocket cameras take pretty good pictures. The imaginary terrorists wouldn't need to be obvious. Harassing photographers really isn't going to do anything useful in the so called war on terrorism. It's just part of the panic IMO. Granted people should be asked what they are about if they seems to be trying to take pictures of children who are not their own. Hang around with a camera at the swimming pool and you probably should expect to be questioned. The rest of it is pointless hysteria and idiotic panic. There isn't much point in defending liberal capitalist freedom from the terrorists if we then take away our own freedoms. PS - London would never have got bombed if Blair hadn't sided with Bush and invaded Iraq. That cannot be said often enough. Although Londoners certainly didn't deserve what they got - especially given that the majority of Brits opposed the illegal war. / rant over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalpuppet Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 2 points, if the police were to only stop and question the typical terrorist template then they would get shouted at. Secondly, they are seen to be stopping allsorts to show a presence, if tommy terrorist is looking to see a possible target set up and is thinking of taking pictures and he notices that the police are stopping a cross section of people and not just the obvious ones then it will delay the terrorists plans. And yes London would have got hit in the end or would have certainly become a valid target regardless of who went to war with who. In a perfect happy shiny world full of cotton wool and hugs these fanatics would only strike valid political/military targets. In the real world they are aiming to cause terror and to a degree dont give a shit who or what it is as long as it gets the glaze of the media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Thank fuck we're not in the UK... Well put, it's a truly god-awfull country. Devon and Cornwall are nice. And bits of Wales and the north of England. Get away from the towns and the motorways and it is still a very nice place. Just as nice as anywhere else. You can get a false impression of Britain if you travel through it via airports - or via motorways, ferry terminals and service stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 terrorist is looking to see a possible target set up and is thinking of taking pictures and he notices that the police are stopping a cross section of people and not just the obvious ones then it will delay the terrorists plans. You or I can walk past a potential target and take a bunch of pictures or video without anyone noticing or even seeing the camera. So it makes no difference. In the real world they are aiming to cause terror and to a degree dont give a shit who or what it is as long as it gets the glaze of the media. I totally agree with you. I bet you have thought it through - think what you might do if you wanted to cause the maximum worry - also such that the fear you created would potentially have a direct economic effect? Don't say. I don't think it has to 100% succeed to succeed if you see what I mean. But can you honestly say that your secret plan would be affected by questioning people who take pictures ? I doubt it would. Do you wonder why they haven't yet tried any of the things which you can think of ? I'm not trying to be clever - I don't know the answer either. The only thing I can guess is that there aren't many of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 2 points, if the police were to only stop and question the typical terrorist template then they would get shouted at. Secondly, they are seen to be stopping allsorts to show a presence The basis of a police state, driven by political correctness: firstly by giving them powers to stop everyone, not just those they suspect, in order to be seen as P-C PCs, leading to secondly, a complete waste of resources and an abuse of authority in a liberal democracy. Why didn't we do it in 25 years of the IRA? Answer we were too busy pointing our guns at Eastern Europe disparaging them for doing to their people at that time, what this UK government is doing to our own people now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxy Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I don't think I could ever be a train or bus spotter, because I don't have the patience like they do and in all weathers too. To me, it would seem simple enough to take pictures whilst they're all in their compound, station etc before they depart on their merry way and be back in time for lunch with a nice pot of tea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b4mbi Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 So what do people on here do that might be looked on as terrorism? Carrying an offensive weapon in a public place (an umbrella)? Sitting on that wall on the Prom? Don't mention the wall..... I'm organising a mass sit-on-wall-and-balls-to-stupid-signs day... anyone interested in a bit of sitting-on-wall style terrorism? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I'm organising a mass sit-on-wall-and-balls-to-stupid-signs day... anyone interested in a bit of sitting-on-wall style terrorism? Why don't you post it on that terrorist suicide site: friends-reignited.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ayres Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I can imagine some CIA gook looking at this site now, mention of bombs, terrorists, terror, targets, cameras, photos of targets etc; and wondering what he/she makes of it all. Nice to see manxforums getting a wider audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbms Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I can imagine some CIA gook looking at this site now, mention of bombs, terrorists, terror, targets, cameras, photos of targets etc; and wondering what he/she makes of it all.Nice to see manxforums getting a wider audience. USA, Skyscraper, Aircraft, Hijack, Guns, Allah, Semtex, Handgrenade, Suicide, Target there are a few key words to interest them UP YOURS YANKEE INFIDELS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monasqueen Posted June 30, 2008 Author Share Posted June 30, 2008 So what do people on here do that might be looked on as terrorism? Carrying an offensive weapon in a public place (an umbrella)? Sitting on that wall on the Prom? Don't mention the wall..... I'm organising a mass sit-on-wall-and-balls-to-stupid-signs day... anyone interested in a bit of sitting-on-wall style terrorism? The other day, I saw a male adult running along the top of the wall. It then occurred to me - that is not one of the things you are prohibited from doing with the wall, so it must be alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimcalagon Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 I don't think I could ever be a train or bus spotter, because I don't have the patience like they do and in all weathers too. To me, it would seem simple enough to take pictures whilst they're all in their compound, station etc before they depart on their merry way and be back in time for lunch with a nice pot of tea Now this is where computers can take the strain out of it all - rather than sitting there with a notebook waiting for a bus/train to come along and then writing the number down, simply ring up the bus/train company and ask them what the highest number on their fleet is. Then write a little program like this:- For VehicleNumber = 1 to Highest Number Print VehicleNumber Next VehicleNumber You will then have a handy print-out of all the vehicle numbers, without the tedious business of having to sit there and spot them all manually. Job done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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