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To: aruanan
Fair enough. But where do you draw the line between such farcial antics that this reporter employed and our Constitutional rights? What others mean by "baiting" is that the reporter deliberately did things that would arouse suspicion. Is that a crime in itself? Of course not. But how can you blame the cops for suspecting him? This is borderline shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre, which the courts have always ruled is NOT free speech. The real question is the bind we're putting the cops in. The instant they get too nosy people yell "civil rights" but if the reporter really was a terrorist, then the cops would be defamed for not catching him. The cops must have some standard by which to judge threats. Even the most anarchic has to admit that if we're going to have a society. Likewise, citizens must have freedom of person and of movement and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, among others. Hysterical rants against the survelliance state (while resonant here) are NOT the answer. Hysterical rants for the survelliance state are NOT the answer either. We are a nation that has to defend herself against terrorist threats AND head them off before they kill any more of us, AND individuals who must remain free. There's a tension there.
88 posted on 03/25/2003 4:58:33 PM PST by =Intervention= (so freaking sick of the lies...)
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To: =Intervention=
What others mean by "baiting" is that the reporter deliberately did things that would arouse suspicion.

Precisely my point as well. It seems to me, both from reading between the lines in this story and from others' reports of what this columnist is like as a general rule, that he set out to create a story. Musta been a slow news day.

Lord knows there are plenty of cops who get overforceful and out of hand (your mileage may vary). But most law enforcement types develop a sixth sense about when "something's up". Everybody's heard the reports about seeing "Arab-looking" people going around taking photographs and video of public monuments, dams, power stations, etc. I think he deliberately played off that and tried to create suspicion. And then he's so offended when the cops picked up on his deliberately suspicious behavior . . . oh, the humanity!

Living in a free society demands that the citizens show a little responsibility and not set out to bait or "test" the police.

168 posted on 03/25/2003 6:57:36 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . there is nothing new under the sun.)
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