Focus is on photographer with an eye for cheerleaders

Omaha.com ^ | 02.06.03

[Coleus]

Focus is on photographer with an eye for cheerleaders

BY STU POSPISIL

LINCOLN - Metro Conference athletic directors and the Nebraska School Activities Association will be watching their high school basketball sidelines more closely after Omaha police detained a 74-year-old man for training a camera on high school cheerleaders.

Omaha Marian Athletic Director Jim Miller said Wednesday that cheerleaders from his school became uncomfortable because of the man's apparent picture-taking at a Jan. 30 girls basketball game at Omaha South.

Miller said the girls alerted Marian's dean of students, who told South administrators. School officials called police, who interviewed the man. The man told authorities that he was a fan of Omaha Marian and Omaha Creighton Prep and was just there to observe the game.

Sgt. Dan Cisar said police took an information report, and the man was ordered to leave the building.

The girls later told Miller they had seen the man at other games.

The man could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

School officials have expressed concerns to the NSAA that if photographs of cheerleaders were taken, they could end up being sold to a Web site that contains pornographic or offensive material.

Copies of a photograph of the man, taken from South's video security monitoring system, were distributed this week at the Metro Conference's monthly meeting of athletic directors.

The man's photo also was sent to the NSAA because of its state basketball tournaments at various sites in Lincoln next month. The girls state tournament is March 6 through 8, and the boys tournament is March 13 through 15.

NSAA Assistant Director Jim Angele said copies of the photo have been forwarded to floor managers at the tournament sites in Lincoln.

"We hope this person won't show up at the state tournament," Angele said. "We'll have to police our sidelines more to make sure only those with credentials are there."

The NSAA does not have a uniform policy regarding the management of spectators at sporting events, other than to ask for good sportsmanship. The obligation to police spectators is left up to individual schools. That means school administrators can decide whether to prohibit admission to a particular spectator. It is common at events such as high school basketball games to see numerous school staff in attendance for the sole purpose of monitoring the crowd.

Miller said amateur photographers, such as family members, may be asked to provide identification if not recognized by officials of the host school.

"We're telling our workers that if they don't know somebody taking photographs, they may want to check it out," Miller said. "It's not a good situation for someone to be going to games and taking photos of cheerleaders only. It sends up a red flag."

[LaraCroft]

If the people don't want dirty old men paying too much attention to the daughters, then the daughters should stop dressing like streetwalkers.

Pro cheerleaders are one thing, high schoolers should be more chaste.

[GhostofWCooper]

Oh, him.

The lady in the foreground is verrrrrry photogenic!

[Arkinsaw]

Hardly. Just your basic legalistic thinking

A lot of people spend a lot of time criticizing the liberals for making up law because it suits them or ignoring it because it suits them. The ends don't justify the means. You don't ignore the law for specific cases that suit you. The twisting you do to arrest this man for a legal action at a public event is the precedent for arresting you for taking pictures of things the government doesn't want you taking pictures of.

If they ever take your film and give you the bums rush because their common sense tells them you might be one of those nasty right-wing nuts who might be going to use it for bad purposes you might yelp. Whose common sense do you want to replace the Constitution with? The common sense of the folks on DU maybe? Tom Daschle's common sense? How about Hillary's common sense? Nah, I think I will stick with "legalistic" thanks.

[Mo1]

what law does this "violate?"

Well there must be more to this story .. if not, I don't see any laws that were violated

[weaponeer]

If the good people of Lincoln considered his behavior disruptive then they have every right to escort him to the door.

And if the good people of Lincoln considered that a Black man should not sit in the front of the bus...? Or that the few Jews in town should move somewhere else...? They have the right to escort them out?

[Paulus Invictus]

You may and should assume the role of DOM. The older females expect it and we cannot let them down. I get a kick out of the sweet younger things calling me darling. It's refreshing, but they are safe.

[eno_]

...and old dykes

Too late! The old dykes are coaching the cheerleaders.

[Cultural Jihad]

Get back to me when blacks or Jews are equated to 'behavioral minorities' such as perverts.

[Fred Mertz]

What if he was photographing one of his granddaughters?

[weaponeer]

Get back to me when blacks or Jews are equated to 'behavioral minorities' such as perverts.

I'm back to ya right now. Ever hear of "equal protection under the law?" Naw, didn't think so. You're one to talk about "behavioral minorities."

[Black Bart]

Hard to know who is out of line in this situation. You gotta question the wisdom of putting young teen girls in short skirts and having them jump up and down and spread their legs to stir up the crowd's spirit though.

Should surprise no one that some people enjoy watching that.

[Sloth]

Perhaps they should dress and/or act like sluts at public events, if they don't want it recorded for posterity.

[APBaer]

"But the government cannot prosecute someone or prohibit them from doing something that is legal because of what they think he or she is thinking."

Exactly, as was pointed out previously in:

Standing On The Corner
(Frank Loesser 1956)

Well, I?m standing on the corner watching all the girls go by
I?m always standing on the corner underneath the springtime sky
Well, you can?t go to jail for what you?re thinking
Or for the 'woo' look in your eye
You been standing on the corner watching all the girls
Watching all the girls, watching all the girls, they go by
And it?s Saturday and I?m so broke
And I couldn?t buy a girl a nickel Coke
I?m going, so what, I?m feeling just like a millionaire
Now just take me down to Main Street
And I?ll survey the harem waiting for me there
I?m gonna be standing on the corner watching all the girls go by
Oh baby, what you do now?
Standing on the corner giving all the girls the eye
Well this ain't much of an occupation
Give it a whirl, give it a try
And you?ll be standing on the corner watching all the girls
Watching all the girls, watching all the girls, they go by
You know that I?m the cat that?s got the cream
And I ain?t got me a girl but I can dream
I ain?t got me a girl but I can wish
Now just take me down to Main Street
And I?ll select my own, imagine my own imaginary dish
I?m standing on the corner watching all the girls go by
I?m gonna be standing on the corner underneath the springtime sky
You know you can?t get arrested for what you?re thinking
Or for the 'woo' look in your eye
You been standing on the corner watching all the girls
Watching all the girls, watching all the girls, they go by
I?m gonna watch ?em go by
Oh, hubba hubba, man
Go by, yeah
I?m gonna watch ?em go by

[Cultural Jihad]

What if he was photographing one of his granddaughters?

In that case he wouldn't mind being identified when asked to, and the cheerleaders would not have been so upset seeing him stalk their games.

[Fred Mertz]

Most cheerleader types like being photographed and in the limelight. You should know that.

[Arkinsaw]

Arrest him? Who said that? They threw him out, right? Just kick the pervert out of the place. That's appropriate.

Where would the government be granted the power to throw people out of public events for taking legal photographs? I ask again. Whose common sense will determine what is appropriate? Can we agree that Hillary is the one to determine what is appropriate? Can you live with that?

Calm down, smoke a joint or something. I wouldn't want you to have a stroke over this.

Sorry, I don't do illegal drugs. But I would be satisfied if you could explain where the government has been delegated the power to throw people out of public events for taking photographs.

[Cultural Jihad]

Go figure. From the article: "...cheerleaders from his school became uncomfortable because of the man's apparent picture-taking at a Jan. 30 girls basketball game at Omaha South."

[Fred Mertz]

I have a picture of myself holding a college cheerleader in my arms. My friend's wife ordered her to pose with me that way. I hope they don't send a SWAT team after me.

[Tamzee]

Just something to add to your discussion... photos like this wind up posted worldwide through pedophile newsgroups, I've seen it (lots of beach and pool pics of toddlers, too). That's already a reason to consider not allowing him to continue. But also consider this - what if this man posts the pictures in a hard-core pedo newsgroup used by several hundred other pedophiles daily....
......and includes the NAME OF THE SCHOOL.