[PRCo] Re: OT: Prohibition of photography from trains and police action taken

[Jerry Matt Matsick]

Jim apparently you haven't been to Florida lately, Orlando in particular, 1 in 5 are speaking in another language and it isn't
Spanish, besides tourists aren't staying away they are all coming
in as aliens, illegal aliens and I would prefer if they all just stay
at home!  And they all have cameras and they all are taking pictures!
Jerry "Matt" Matsick 
>From Jacksonville 
Where FLORIDA begins!


-------------- Original message from Jim Holland <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com>: -------------- 


> Apparently foreign visitors to USA is not rising with the weaker dollar 
> -- They Are staying away -- tried to find article but it takes time. 
> . 
> Japan is ciscouraging tourists: 
> . 
> http://tinyurl.com/3yqngw 
> . 
> Pendulums swing as Pendulums Do 
> . 
> ....... One extreme to the Udder~!~!~!~! 
> . 
> . 
> . 
> Boris Cefer wrote: 
> > I think this story won't attract many foreign visitors to your country... 
> > Most people believe in good people but they also remember what they hear and 
> > read. 
> > 
> > B 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Jim Holland" 
> > To: "- 1714 PRCo__WP__JTC -" ; "- 
> > 1714 PRCo__WP__JTC -" ; "- 1717 
> > PRCo__WP__JTC -" 
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 12:56 PM 
> > Subject: [PRCo] OT: Prohibition of photography from trains and police action 
> > taken 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/war_and_peace/every_day_diplomacy.php 
> > 
> > Episcopal Café 
> > November 3, 2007 
> > 
> > Joel Merchant is a teacher, business consultant, and essayist. He is 
> > currently working on "The Other Side of Time; Letters to My Daughter" at 
> > a-reminiscence. 
> > 
> > Posted by Jim Naughton on 4:15 AM | Permalink | Digg this 
> > 
> > Every day diplomacy 
> > 
> > Note: we are receiving many insightful comments on this article from 
> > folks who aren't signing the comments using their real names. We are 
> > delighted to have your comments, especially from first-time visitors, 
> > but in the interest of transparency and accountability, we do require 
> > you to sign your posts with your real name. Thanks. The editors. 
> > 
> > By Joel L. Merchant 
> > 
> > Countries, like people, make friends with others one at a time. This is 
> > a story of one failure. In fairness to an unknown visitor to our 
> > country, imagine yourself in his place. The scene is on a recent Amtrak 
> > trip between New York City and Boston. The conductor collects tickets, 
> > requests identification, folds destination stubs into seatbacks, moves 
> > on to other cars. An older man across the aisle, traveling alone, shows 
> > his passport. It is clear from their conversation he doesn't know 
> > English. After decades as a frequent traveler, I have thousands of 
> > pictures -- scenery, buildings, people, architecture, from around the 
> > world. Today the train passes a lovely stretch of Connecticut shore, 
> > tidal marshes, nesting ospreys, the Long Island Sound. What little 
> > attention I pay as the visitor takes pictures, is that I'm impressed 
> > with his equipment. He and I, unknown to each other, are members of a 
> > picture-taking culture, fellow citizens of a show-and-tell world. I 
> > wonder if his will join the thousands on YouTube. I imagine, after his 
> > return home, how many friends he will impress with stories and pictures 
> > of this mild, early autumn, Saturday morning journey along the New 
> > England shoreline. 
> > 
> > The train is a half hour west of New Haven when the conductor, having 
> > finished her original rounds, reappears. She moves down the aisle, 
> > looks, stops between our seats, faces the person taking pictures. "Sir, 
> > in the interest of national security, we do not allow pictures to be 
> > taken of or from this train." He starts, "I……." but, without English, 
> > his response trails off into silence. The conductor, speaking louder, 
> > forcefully: "Sir, I will confiscate that camera if you don't put it 
> > away." Again, little response. "Sir, this is a security matter! We 
> > cannot allow pictures." She turns away abruptly and, as she moves down 
> > the aisle, calls over her shoulder, in a very loud voice, "Put. It. 
> > Away!" He packs his camera. Within a minute after our arrival in New 
> > Haven, two armed police officers entered the car, approached my 
> > neighbor's seat. "Sir, we're removing you from this train." "I….;" "I……" 
> > "Sir, you have breached security regulations. We must remove you from 
> > this train." "I…," "I….." "Sir, we are not going to delay this train 
> > because of you. You will get off, or we will remove you physically." 
> > "I….." Nearby passengers stir. One says, "It's obvious he doesn't speak 
> > English. There are people here who speak more than one language. Perhaps 
> > we can help." Different ones ask about the traveler's language; learn he 
> > speaks Japanese. For me, a sudden flash of memory -- a student at 
> > International Christian University in Japan, I took countless pictures 
> > without arousing suspicion. 
> > 
> > The police speak through the interpreter, with the impatience of 
> > authority. The conductor asked this man three times to discontinue. We 
> > must remove him from the train." The traveler hears the translation, is 
> > befuddled. Hidden beneath the commotion is a cross-cultural drama. With 
> > the appearance of police officers, this quiet visitor is embarrassed to 
> > find he is the center of attention. The officers explain, "After we 
> > remove him from the train, when we are through our investigation, we 
> > will put him on the next train." The woman translates. The passenger 
> > replies, "I'm meeting relatives in Boston. They cannot be reached by 
> > phone. They expect me and will be worried when I do not arrive on 
> > schedule." "Our task," the police repeat, "is to remove you from this 
> > train. If necessary, we will do so by force. After we have finished the 
> > investigation, we'll put you on another train." The woman translates. 
> > The traveler gathers his belongings and departs. 
> > 
> > My earlier suggestion that you imagine being in his place leaves you 
> > free to respond and draw your conclusions. Remember: you've been removed 
> > from the train, are being interrogated, perhaps having your equipment 
> > confiscated; while I continue to do what I take for granted – traveling 
> > unimpeded, on to Providence. 
> > 
> > The more I replay the scene, the more troublesome it is. It is the stuff 
> > of nightmares. Relations between people and countries lie at the heart 
> > of the issue. The abstract terms that inform political and social debate 
> > appear, as if in person, unexpectedly, near enough to hear, touch, feel. 
> > Taking no position is not an option. As an educator, I would prepare and 
> > deliver a lecture on how others perceive America in the world community, 
> > then seek an audience. I'll spare you. But -- I just watched armed 
> > police officers remove a visitor from the train for taking pictures. I 
> > don't understand this. I'm disturbed no, shaken – to bear witness to 
> > these events. Other passengers react with surprise and anger. "Since 
> > when is it illegal to take pictures?" 
> > 
> > "Nobody's ever bothered me about it." "Is the only photography allowed 
> > from the space station and Google Earth? These people take pictures of 
> > everything, including my house, without my permission, and they're 
> > instantly available on the internet." An older traveler reflected, "I 
> > witnessed this personally in police states during the war in Europe." 
> > 
> > 
> > In The Terror Presidency, Jack Goldsmith says it is right for a country 
> > to meet a threat in a way that keeps us safe, but must also "minimize 
> > unnecessary intrusion on …life, liberty and property.... and all those 
> > who are enjoying them with us." One passenger asked, "Would someone 
> > please explain the threat posed by taking pictures from the train?" 
> > 
> > 
> > In Matt Stoller's review of A Tragic Legacy, he says the current 
> > administration has "transformed the way (people) speak about our country 
> > and its role in the world." The good-versus-evil mentality has "altered 
> > the political system of our country" and our relationship with the rest 
> > of the world – in ways which are "inappropriate for a modern power in a 
> > time of global turmoil." 
> > 
> > 
> > It doesn't take more than five minutes, in any airport in this country, 
> > before I hear the loudspeaker, "The current terror threat is elevated." 
> > We hear "terror" endlessly – traveling, at home, on television, in the 
> > news. Recent political campaigns have reminded no, badgered – us, to be 
> > very afraid. What did Franklin Roosevelt say, that "the only thing we 
> > have to fear is fear itself." Terror. Paranoia. We can no longer 
> > differentiate between terrors. Is this our generation's enlightened 
> > contribution to American culture? 
> > 
> > 
> > Watching police escort a visitor off the train, I felt anger, not 
> > comfort. This action was beyond irritating. It is intolerable, 
> > unacceptable. If it bothered me, it paled in comparison to the way it 
> > inconvenienced, and will long trouble, this visitor to our country. We 
> > disrupted his travel plans and family reunion. Even greater than the 
> > psychological damage we inflicted is the harm we've done to ourselves. 
> > 
> > We missed an opportunity to show kindness, to be ambassadors of 
> > goodwill. The visitor will return home. He will indeed impress many 
> > people – not with pleasant memories and pictures of a quiet morning trip 
> > along the New England coast, but with a story of being removed and 
> > detained by American police for taking pictures. Do we imagine we've 
> > gained anything because a single visitor returns home with stories of 
> > mistreatment? 
> > 
> > 
> > We engage in diplomacy whenever we have contact with visitors or travel 
> > abroad ourselves. If we conduct ourselves poorly as daily ambassadors, 
> > it is no wonder our country suffers a tarnished relationship with the world. 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
>