Is it time to become more receptive to the use of more public surveillance?

[shrewsbury]

as long as they are in public and not pointing at windows in peoples homes, go for it.

[xpucksx]

With what happened it Boston it was used in a good way. My problem is gov't does not know when to stop. And please don't give me that crap about if you don't have anything to hide you should have a problem.

but isn't t hat sort of the truth? Just sayin...

[Wickabee]

Thing is, his argument works, just not in this instance.
In the case of entering your home, search and seizure, etc, etc he's right. Having nothing to hide is no reason to be okay with being subjected to it. However, when we're in public, we already submit to being videotaped or photographed at any time by anyone. Adding police cameras in public takes away no right you already enjoy. So the argument that saying 'if you have nothing to hide...' is crap, is crap.

As for the arguments about how the police could abuse it, they already have many powers they need to do their jobs, and all too many abuse. That isn't a case of the power needing to be taken away, police need power to do their job. What it doesn't say is that the higher ups who do the recruiting, hiring, training, etc, etc need to do a better job or be replaced. Everyone loves to praise the police and I do too when they go above and beyond, but what is acceptable for an average citizen and for a cop are two different things. Instead of limiting their power to make their jobs harder, why not demand they do a better job from the top down?

These are government agencies, no? The people are supposed to run the government, no?

Do your job as citizens and demand they start performing or take off.

[duane1969]

No, I get you. I'm honestly not a fan of slippery slope, because it tends to assume that people don't know when to stop anything.
At the same time, I was watching FOX in my hotel room Saturday night after I caught the Canucks game (eat THAT Detroit!) and Rudy Gulisbfhfhwkdjfb (former NYC mayor, if that wasn't clear enough) was saying this exact thing, except he wasn't using it for a slippery slope argument, he was saying, " it's going to be uncomfortable, but we need to do this or we can never prevent these things."
Now, I'm all for 'an ounce of prevention' but I recall something about giving up your rights for safety means you deserve neither.
This is a case, I think, where the slippery slope is avoidable. We currently have no real right to privacy in public, cameras don't change that. Moving on as you and Rudy did is possible, but you're looking at actual rights. Air travel isn't a right. To me that's like getting patted down at a concert. It's not an infringement on any right. They start talking about randomly stripping people like that poor guy who walked down the wrong street in Watertown, then you have something. I just don't agree with not taking a step because future steps built off it could he bad.

Funny thing is I haven't been patted down or had to walk through a metal detector to go into a concert in years. I went to a Hank Williams Jr. concert last year (if there was ever a concert that needed pat downs, that seems like the one) and they didn't even check my wife's bag or anything.

As for the "right" to fly, that is beside the point. My point is that it is illogical to think that something can't happen. 45 years ago space travel was just a comic book/cartoon subject, now we have private companies doing space flights. Never assume that the impossible is not possible.

[xpucksx]

Funny thing is I haven't been patted down or had to walk through a metal detector to go into a concert in years. I went to a Hank Williams Jr. concert last year (if there was ever a concert that needed pat downs, that seems like the one) and they didn't even check my wife's bag or anything.

does that mean we are all getting old? Same thing happened to me at a Rush concert. I remember when you had to keep your eyes out the whole time. I get yelled at now for standing up and air drumming...

[Wickabee]

Duane, never said it can't, just said I do have a little faith left in us.