Post in Smoking Illegal?

Mar 28 12:03 UTC

Dennis,

My initial suggestion in this thread was for the mayor to "regulate" EVERY
surveillance type camera within the city so that citizens would be keenly aware
any time and every time they are being photographed.  Additionally, they should
be able to readily know who was taking pictures, who has access to the
pictures,  and be able to get copies if they want. I suggested any surveillance
type cameras in private businesses be required to have a flashing blue light
and a placard.

Mike's rebuttal was that the mayor could not do this because I was "calling for
an unwarranted intrusion of government into the rights of private ownership and
property".

My not too clear example of the smoking band in bars (which by the way, makes
it ILLEGAL to smoke in bars now) was to show that the government currently has
all kinds and manner of regulations on the rights of private ownership and
private property. I disagree with the government doing this, but yet they have
many current regulations.

Your rebuttal was,  "The rights of private business owners of which you speak
have never been recognized by any court of law in Minnesota that I know of."

It certainly sounds like you agree then that mayor Coleman would have no
problem regulating surveillance type cameras in any private business within all
of Minnesota let alone all of the city.

As an example of my concern, I did some banking earlier this week. There on top
of the teller's shelf, nearly in my face, was a little 1/2 sphere, maybe 3
inches in diameter, smokey colored plastic "thing" . There was no sign, no
note, no explanation, no nothing. It just showed up one day. There is one at
each teller station. I assume it is a surveillance camera. But I don't know
what it is. Is it a camera? When is it taking pictures? What detail of picture
is it taking? Is it turned on only when there is a robbery in process? Is it
running continuously? Who is watching the footage? Can I really scratch myself
where it itches? Banks are Federally regulated. Are all my private banking
transactions being streamed right into the FBI and CIA? How long are the images
being stored? Where? Think about if there are similar 1/2 spheres out of sight
in the bank's rest rooms!

I feel we as private citizens in a free society have every right to know the
answers to these and similar questions for every camera "watching" us. Because
if we don't, then we are no longer free.

Current law allows legal action if the crime or evidence is in "plain view".
Current camera technology is able to spot a golf ball from miles in space.
Imagine if there were a series of cameras mounted, in the public space of
course, high up on swivels such that they could "peer" into any window of  any
house in the city.  Then for all you liberals out there, imagine George Bush,
Dick Cheney, and company can focus those cameras and are "mining" that data!

It's a pretty scary world we are building.

Dean Sheldon,

S A Park