Police State Downtown.

[gatorback]

Since I have a degree in photography I'd say so. Long before the daguerreotype of 1837 the Chinese philosopher Mo Ti described a pinhole camera in the 5th century B.C and  Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) (965â€"1040) studied the camera obscura.  Remember, those technology led us to the CRT and that flat screen you're looking at right now.  What else can we apply that technology too?  Well, I suppose training monkeys (as Stephen so astutely mentions above) aka deterring crime.

[gatorback]

Sure would be nice to have videos of those acts to put this for rest once and for all.

[gatorback]

I mean, why not install cameras in all of the churches so that we can keep an eye on the politics of these tax free organizations?

We do. And it's broadcasted every Sunday morning in HD.

[BridgeTroll]

 

[BridgeTroll]

After hearing all the arguments offered so far I have come to the conclusion that I would prefer the money to be spent on cameras and recording equipment to be spent on Segways.  JSO would patrol regular beats visiting businesses, getting to know the homeless and vagrants, and being aware of the streets and coordinating with the Downtown Ambassadors.  The Segway cops should be supplamented with bicycle cops performing the same function.  If we can provide downtown ambassadors with Segways... three or four cops on them should be easy...

[NotNow]

Again, Sgerna's auto was fired on after repeated attempts to stop it with other means failed.  Her "observations" are not what many Marines remember.  The "toture" debate has been done.  I will say that many American lives have been saved using techniques that you would call "torture".  Do you remember how many people have actually been "waterboarded"?  Less than five.  Ah, but once again we venture into an area of expertise in which you have no education, training, or experience.  As for your apologies, you could start with Senator McCain and them move on to every Marine who fought in Fallujah.  All of these people put their lives on the line for this country while you had your "travels".

[Ocklawaha]

After hearing all the arguments offered so far I have come to the conclusion that I would prefer the money to be spent on cameras and recording equipment to be spent on Segways.  JSO would patrol regular beats visiting businesses, getting to know the homeless and vagrants, and being aware of the streets and coordinating with the Downtown Ambassadors.  The Segway cops should be supplamented with bicycle cops performing the same function.  If we can provide downtown ambassadors with Segways... three or four cops on them should be easy...

[Ocklawaha]

Whoo! NOT ME!

Let's see, your at Pearl and Duval, and suddenly a guy pulls a knife and says, "Your a dead man if you don't give it up."

Some cop at the JSO office see's this on a TV screen and thinks, "Hum? Wonder what is gonig down?", Finally when your bleeding from 3 huge holes, he decides "Oh God a mugging!" Next he calls the dispatcher and they send out a car which arrives 15 minutes later. You bleed out on the walk, and the perp get's your .50 cent skyway fare.

With the Segway, bike, horse, scooter, you could say that cop could show at any second, thus the likelyhood of your buying the farm over .50 cents is slim to none. Nobody will risk being caught for such a small sum and a capital crime.

OCKLAWAHA

[Shwaz]

Whoo! NOT ME!

Let's see, your at Pearl and Duval, and suddenly a guy pulls a knife and says, "Your a dead man if you don't give it up."

Some cop at the JSO office see's this on a TV screen and thinks, "Hum? Wonder what is gonig down?", Finally when your bleeding from 3 huge holes, he decides "Oh God a mugging!" Next he calls the dispatcher and they send out a car which arrives 15 minutes later. You bleed out on the walk, and the perp get's your .50 cent skyway fare.

With the Segway, bike, horse, scooter, you could say that cop could show at any second, thus the likelyhood of your buying the farm over .50 cents is slim to none. Nobody will risk being caught for such a small sum and a capital crime.

I think what most are trying to say is that the criminals knowledge of the cameras would keep them from stabbing you over .50 because even if they were to get away... there dirty mug would be caught on camera as they would be with in 24 hours.

Paul Blart can't be everywhere at once but a camera can.

If cameras make people feel safe than maybe more business's and people will visit downtown more often. I know poeple mugged by bums downtown and read every year about senseless violence on weekends like FL / GA.

On the flip side maybe I'll get busted for urinating in public with a 32oz in ahnd. I'll take my chances.

[gatorback]

All this is true, but given the current police state downtown is in, the above would probably go more like this.

You're driving down union on your way to Pearl and Duval.  Some cop at the JSO office see's your car moving down union and runs your tag. Your tag is run thru the system and your name is identified.  An unpaid parking ticket.   Cars are dispatched to follow you. You exit your car at Pearl and Duval to be greeted by the perp.  He stabs you 3 times. You die and the perp gets away because the cops are to busy booting the car.

[gatorback]

What a brilliant use of our tax dollar. We need these on every corner in all directions. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otT3ZtZMiaM

[Bewler]

I think what most are trying to say is that the criminals knowledge of the cameras would keep them from stabbing you over .50 because even if they were to get away... there dirty mug would be caught on camera as they would be with in 24 hours.

Have to chime in about this theory, thugs and bums are not usually the most tactful people. There's a good chance they aren't going to think things through before commiting acts of violence and say to themselves "Hey wait, there's a camera there. I'd better not jump this guy even though I'm desperate, starving and possibly completely out of my mind." Hell they might not even notice there's a camera on them at all. How many videos have you seen of someone robbing a convenient store? These aren't exactly criminal masterminds at work.

On the flip side maybe I'll get busted for urinating in public with a 32oz in ahnd. I'll take my chances.

I think this is what we're all secretly scared of.

[civil42806]

I mean, why not install cameras in all of the churches so that we can keep an eye on the politics of these tax free organizations?

We do. And it's broadcasted every Sunday morning in HD.

LOL

[civil42806]

Stephen, I would go through this slowly if I thought it would help.  I have attempted to be civil with you and you continue to twist what I say to fit your own little version of things.  You continue to put out these kinds of statements:

"You start on on some misplaced rant conflating criticism of torture with condemnation of our soldiers and then you descend to this kind of conspiratorial madness and demand apologies for completely fabricated offenses."

You ignore when others prove you factually wrong.
You misstate what is said, on a board where anyone can read what was written!
You ridicule those that oppose you.
You insult those that oppose you.

While I have neither the time nor iclination to train you in how a roadblock works, I can assure you that the vehicle containing Sgrena was required to stop at US roadblocks.   They were in no danger at a US roadblock but were actually at a point of safety.  We don't just let cars zip by!  If you can't figure out why that is, and I suspect that you can't, then we shouldn't even be having this conversation.  

Your insults against Senator McCain are well documented in this thread.  Your accusations of torture and murder against our soldiers are spread throughout this forum and jaxoutloud.  Your active promoting of any accusation against the US military in any rag in the world is evidence of your contempt.  Your promotion of Sgrena in her accusations against the Marines who fought in Fallujah sickens me.  I know you won't apologize.  I know that you will never admit that you are wrong even when it sits in front of you in black and white.  I see what I am dealing with and I would like to say that I am still just trying to help you, but I am through with that.  You are a coward.  You have no idea what you are talking about.  You lack integrity and honesty.  These forums are excellent forms of entertainment and at times education, but your demagoguery against the very country that you take advantage of and those that defend it at great personal cost is just too much for me to take.  

Continue with your lies and cowardly calls from a darkened room in Riverside, but I will no longer be a part of it.  You better keep it on the web or in your little coffee shop though, because if you are not careful a man who has really given something of himself might hear you in person.

Told you so

[NotNow]

And I should have listened.