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In this case in September of 2003, the camera was remotely controlled to move around and zoom in on people walking down the strip near bars in close proximity to the campus of the University of Alabama. FTA: "Footage broadcast citywide on a cable TV channel showed several people, and the camera zoomed in on the breasts and buttocks of several young women walking past." Those videos led to the arrest of a few individuals for public lewdness, disorderly conduct, and public intoxication.

The state trooper was not reprimanded, according to the article, but now troopers are not able to control the movement or zooming of the cameras.

So, back to the parent's point... in this case, an officer on dinner break noticed the images on TV. If not for the public broadcast, the trooper who controlled the camera would not have been caught and possibly be doing the same thing today. So, it's a good thing that the public could view these cameras. I doubt that they will ever be taken off the streets, and since they only can see what is in public view, I am inclined to believe that the public should be able to view these cameras to prevent exactly this from happening.

There's nothing in TFA that says that the guy downloaded child pornography, and nothing in TFA that says he downloaded anything at all from the library's website.

The article does say that the man was caught with possession of child pornography. This event occured some time after he visited the library. The article implied through the following quote

"but he declined to explain why he thought she had not done enough to prevent the incident, which occurred July 25. Police charged Michael Bushee, 25, with possession of child pornography several days later"

Also see the following articles:

• Valparaiso librarian suspended after patrons visit porno sites
• Valparaiso Librarian Suspended After Patrons Visit Porno Sites

Lawsuit Claims 'Grand Theft Auto' Motivated Teen Gunman

http://www.nbc13.com/news/4200301/detail.html

The lawsuit isn't about the kid trying to get off the hook, it's about the relatives of the deceased sueing the game companies for training the kid to enact those situations. I live in Birmingham and the news stated it was a $600 million suit. They're trying to "send a message".

http://www.nbc13.com/news/4200301/detail.html

However such technology doesn't offer the descretion that say a police officer or judge has in determining the guilt in say exceeding the speed limit. What if you are speeding because you are trying to get a dying relative to a hospital or something? The law says that you are speeding, a police officer can determine that perhaps you actually need some help not be punished with a fine.

> They are interconnected, if not the same thing. If I can observe you I can track you. And I need to be able to observe at least some aspect of your life in order to track you.

They are interconnected, yes, but they are not the same. The division lies with intent. Tracking requires observation, but observation does not require tracking. You're not allowed to demand that I not look at you in public, but you're closer to legitimacy to demand that I don't actively follow you around observing you.

> Yeah, like those problems don't exist with traditional law enforcement. If anything they are less of a problem with video as now the officer can't lie and say they saw the black guy trying to steal a car or whatever excuse they think up.

Again, the problem lies with intent. This system makes it much easier to do more than observing, and it makes the "follow this person around until he does something we can prosecute for" much easier, and much less provable. Sure, it happens in absence of these systems, but at least then there's some possibility to prove it. More importantly, if someone wants to track you, it's easier to do it without your knowledge than with traditional police work. A bored police officer isn't going to follow some young woman around in a patrol car all day just for kicks, but a bored camera operator just might.

> Besides, those are based on observation, not tracking, which blows a hole wide open in your division theory.

Following someone for miles on the road, waiting until they make a mistake so you can pull them over, is illegal in most states on the basis of tracking being illegal for non-offenders. Doing the same with a series of cameras is also going to be illegal? And how do you go about proving that's what happened when the police give you your tenth ticket for "crossing the median line" because you happened to spill your beer on a cop at a nearby bar? Don't try to tell me that there's decent accountability. In the case where an operator used the cameras in an Alabama town to zoom in on coeds' breasts and buttocks, and in which the camera feeds were running on a local cable channel so lots of folks saw it, the PD didn't even release the name of the offending officer. Unless the folks installing this set of cameras is going to be a heck of a lot more open about accountability, then the chance for abuse is too high.

Virg

The 2-week old network, which is promoting itself a liberal
alternative to conservative talk radio, had its programming
pulled Wednesday by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc.

MultiCultural owns WNTD in Chicago and KBLA in Los
Angeles. The restraining order doesn't apply to KBLA.

MultiCultural owner Arthur Liu was quoted on the Chicago
Tribune Web site Wednesday afternoon saying Air America
bounced a check and owes his company more than $1 million.""

"The Air America network is still on the air in New York,
Portland, Ore., and a different station in Los Angeles.
It's also on XM radio and is being live-streamed ... "

And the Pay-ForPlay business model is any better ?

Pay ForPlay

Google's Free E-Mail: Real Or April Fool's Prank?

From this link

"A traffic camera focused on an intersection near the University of Alabama showed a lot more than cars recently -- someone used it to zoom in on young women in an unexpected show that was broadcast on cable TV" ... "The camera zoomed in on the breasts and buttocks of several college-aged women"

Perhaps this was done to grab some new footage for "Girls Gone Wild 5 - Traffic Teases"

BTW, anyone have a Divx of the cable TV footage?