Photo ban? What sort of assinine yaphead dreams these things up? I think a suitable motto for Dept. of Homeland Security and the like would be "omigodwegottadosomet hing!"
Yes it may be a little inconvenient for a while with some security or restrictions on some of our hobbies,but as Jim said its beter we do it to ourselves than have those "towelheads"over here doing it on "our"sidewalks.
You know its kinda funny, in the days following 9/11, President Bush stated going on living your lives as normal as possible. Now we are being subjected to loosing our civil liberties. At the rate we are going, the most we are gonna be able to do is sleep, eat and work. Banning Photography isn't constitutional and this banning madness must end now!
If we cannot kick the foreigners that have no citizenship out of the country, lest we do and it quits being the America we have known, likewise you cannot penalize your own citizenship for the acts of outsiders. That's why we have taken the war on terror to the terrorists, instead of waiting for them to bring it here on a wide scale. Go President Bush, GO!
If it wasn't for transit fans years ago, we wouldn't have as many records of old passenger trains and trolleys. Why hinder records for future generations to hold to, and say it is in the name of national security?
To limit the freedoms of law abiding citizens and turn them into suspects and perhaps criminals will do nothing to prevent speculated terrorist actions. we need to protect our freedoms.
I agree wholeheartedly with the statements in this petition and I would extend the comments to include transit systems, but railroads in general. There are probably more people out there photographing freight trains than transit systems.
Benjamin Franklin was right when he said
"THEY THAT CAN GIVE UP ESSENTIAL LIBERTY TO OBTAIN A LITTLE TEMPORARY SAFETY DESERVE NEITHER LIBERTY NOR SAFETY."
We were all so willing to give up our freedoms after 9/11 out of fear, that we are now in real danger of becoming a police state. This was exactly what the terrorists were trying to accomplish.
A complete ban on photography is a direct violation of my Constitutional rights. Now, if you want to do something productive, take applications, do background checks, and issue railfan identifications! If I were out railfanning and I saw someone acting really suspiciously, don't you think I'd take their picture and call Railroad Police? So please, don't infringe on my HOBBY and MY RIGHT!
Isn't it interesting?
The railway locomotive and the camera were both invented at roughly the same time, in the early 1800s. Additionally, the very first railroad photographs were taken at that time.
It is ridiculous that "modern" railroad management hasn't figured out that railroad photography IS and ALWAYS HAS BEEN a harmless hobby.
Is the US becoming a communists country where photography is prohibited and people try to cover up the lens of your camera on public streets?
This really sucks. I guess city officials should even stop people taking pictures at famous landmarks as they are also likely to be the target of terrorist attack. Transit authorities should also stop publishing system maps/schedules as these show how train and bus routes planned and arrange, when and where they arrive and departure. Closing down their official online sites should be also considered if they really do think banning photography is a must.
Give us railfans a break,who better to spot a terrorist around r.r.property than us,were always around certain areas and would report anything unusual we saw!
Look at it from both sides,there are a million people with cameras in there cars,how can you stop that?Maybe there should just be restrictions on secured railroad property,otherwise how you going to stop someone from taking a picture of a train or a bridge when there out on the road somewhere?
Photographing trains off of railroad propwerty is simply ineffective at counterterrorism it is clearly an unwarranted infringement of Constitutional liberties. Giving up a little freedom to gain a little security will soon have us possess neither.
Such a ban on photography would be a major imposition on our rights. Freedom of expression, which photography is a form of, has always been one of the cornerstones of this country's freedoms.
sidebar to the MTA: if you ban people awlking between cars at All times, you might as well go ahead and ban dumb folk who stand in doorways when the train is empty, and people who don't step all the way into the cars, while you're at it
Banning Photography would impose on our rights of freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech. Banning Photography will not prevent terrorisim. Camera's don't blow thing ups, Bombs do.
Hey, Abu we do have lives and for your narrow minded veiw, us railroaders are more sophisticated than the likes of YOU can ever imagine. And for your information this country and many others around the world were built by railroads, not airplanes you DUMBASS! Oh by the way learn proper English while your in this GREAT COUNTRY you foreign FUCK!!!!
The law currently protects photography of anything that can be see from a public street. anyone who attempts to prevent you in the exercise in that legal right is violating the law, and you may seek recourse through the courts. This rigth must be protected from the security nuts who would destroy our freedoms.
I am sure that many of us "rail fans" will be aware of any person asking "seemingly too many questions" so to look for a means of sabotage to our American Railroad System. I know that I will be aware of such a case.
I refuse to accept the fact that, in an attempt to make this country safe and more secure, people are getting so paranoid that they wish to ban photography on transit systems! What's next...I can't take any photos on top of the Empire State Building because of the fact some purported terrorist could be scouting NYC from 1200 feet up?
my thoughts exactly. i've only been a railfan for about 5 years now and i'm just now starting to get the best shots of my life. i don't wanna have to resort to sneaking in photo's of my favorite trains when i have time to set up and make some shots that are memorable to me now. it is true. there is no way that banning photography of any sort of mass transit, whether it be bus, train, freight, boat, plane...anything will stop terrorism. you don't need photo's to commit this heinous acts of stupidity. all you need to do is ride what you're after for a few days and you have the route down. as a matter of fact our "hobby" you could say could lead to important clues, facts, and even solvings of crimes.who knows one of us may snap a photo of the main man involed in the crime by accident. one of us may and more than likely see who is doing it. all in all we basically are security. we're not gonna let anyting wrong happen to what we love.
I cannot honestly imagine how taking away my Civil Rights can help us to live a safer life. It is giving in to the desires of the enemies, and causing more paranoia then we have allready created in our society.
Making it illegal for people to enjoy our nations railroads will diminish our freedoms. This is not a positive way to show that we are the land of the free...
I am very concerned about this ill-considered and ill-advised ban.This will not deter terrorists, just honest citizens. It states that pictures can be taken with a permit, but no standards for that are proposed, which makes this proposal suspect as a potential denial of equal protection of law and as an action permitting arbitrary and capricious action by a government agency contrary to law.This is not a security measure, only a way for people in the overstaffed security section of a transit agency to prove that they are doing something to earn a paycheck.(i.e. waste your tax money.) It would be a better idea for the MTA to reject this and to seriously study the impact of photography with a study committee that includes representatives from responsible railfan organizations. I'm sure that such a serious study would not come up with this idiotic idea.
This is just getting out of hand. Would a terrorist takes pictures like us and waits for security to catch him? I totally agree that we are the best eyes and ears in transit security. We notice things that transit employees don't even notice. You should spend the man power on something better, rather than ticketing/assulting fans on taking photos that make no harm!
