DTO: DETAINED DT FOR BEING A POSSIBLE TERRORIST. SERIUOSLY!

TechnicalDisaster · Post by **TechnicalDisaster** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:37 pm

guy4omaha,
I hear you out, and you make common sense arguments. But my question is, where does it end? You don't mind other people getting patted down, but what if it was your child, or your wife? In vietnam, the north strapped bombs to children and had them run up to soldiers. In Iraq, my brother had a gun pulled on him by a 7 year old he was giving candy too. How long before the TSA views your children as a threat to national security and wants to search them AFTER they pass the metal detector and wand.

In DTO's situation the officer was OK to ask questions, he was OK to ask for ID. How the officer went about confiscating the camera is in question. Did he ask DTO to see the pictures, or did he just grab the camera out of his hands and pass it around. I also don't like that they threatend him by putting his name on the National Security watch list. Is that list public? Can someone (like a newspaper agency) sue the goverment and get those records and publish them? What will that mean the next time he travels? Will he be detained at every stop? How far or long will this stay with him? All because he likes to take pictures of a city he is proud of. yeesh.

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 7:39 pm

bradley414 wrote:guy4omaha,
I hear you out, and you make common sense arguments. But my question is, where does it end? You don't mind other people getting patted down, but what if it was your child, or your wife? In vietnam, the north strapped bombs to children and had them run up to soldiers. In Iraq, my brother had a gun pulled on him by a 7 year old he was giving candy too. How long before the TSA views your children as a threat to national security and wants to search them AFTER they pass the metal detector and wand.

In DTO's situation the officer was OK to ask questions, he was OK to ask for ID. How the officer went about confiscating the camera is in question. Did he ask DTO to see the pictures, or did he just grab the camera out of his hands and pass it around. I also don't like that they threatend him by putting his name on the National Security watch list. Is that list public? Can someone (like a newspaper agency) sue the goverment and get those records and publish them? What will that mean the next time he travels? Will he be detained at every stop? How far or long will this stay with him? All because he likes to take pictures of a city he is proud of. yeesh.

And you make some very good points, too. My original post or the first one after it referenced that it is a delicate balance we are trying to walk. What I was trying to do with that statement is acknowledge the dangers you bring up.

I just don't think we can hide our heads in the sand and pretend we can go back to living our lives like 911 never happened. We all have a greater resonsibility now in my opinion.

I would try to be much more cognizant of how my actions may appear to others so that I minimize the potential to alarm others. And if others become alarmed, I would respond with sympathy and concern for their alarm. I would not go around without proper identification. If I was taking pictures downtown, I would have a portfolio of my other work or references to this site and ones like skypaperpage.com on my person or in my car to help anyone understand my mission. I think you just need to be prepared to explain yourself.

I don't know how DTO and the police officers handled themselves step-by-step. My guess is that they both probably could make improvements over what may have happened that day.

My response would have been something like, "Oh my gosh, I am sorry. Please let me cooperate fully with you. I appreciate your vigilance. Let me help you in any way I can to help you understand my real motives for taking pictures here today. Where would you like me to begin?"

May sound naive to some I would suppose. But in 42 years, I have had a few incidents and a pledge of full-cooperation to the officer has diffused it satisfactorily everytime for me . . . so far. Almost everytime, the officer appreciated my help and the fact I appreciated the difficulties of their job. The officer usually bent over backward to help diffusse the situation. And with violating fewer, I suspect, of my rights than if I had taken a more defensive approach. I consider this a cut them off at the pass method. Seems to work in a lot of parts of ones life.

As far as my wife and children and searches and so forth on them. I would have no problem with it as long as it was conducted properly. I know that this leaves room for the bad cop to take advantage of me and/or my family someday. But I would rather concentrate on cooperating with the 99% of the other cops and authorities. I trust/hope that they will help me not only with terrorists and criminals but with the bad cops as well.

Anyway, I hear you as well. Also, DTO, I saw a few posts referring to your pictures on this site. I didn't know if I should say anything at the time, but I agree those pictures cannot be doing you any good. You have also been jokingly making some statements about blowing stuff up, etc. We all know your kidding. But my advice would be not to say anything publically that could be miscontrued or taken out of context. On the internet you just don't know who may be listening or may pick up your comments down the road someday.

This diatribe is meant with good intentions. I realize that not everyone agrees with me. I also reserve the right to be wrong as my opinions and views continue to evolve.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 7:54 pm

Guy,

Thanks for being the voice of reason for the other side.

But what do you think should happen once a person is cleared of doing anything wrong? I doubt very much they'll go beyond looking into my past since it's much easier to just assume the worst. If they don't keep any records on me for being a threat to city/national seucurity I'll be fine. But put yourself in my shoes.

You were stopped and the same thing happened to you. Maybe the mext time you try to get on a plane, get stopped while driving, or even go to get money out of the bank you could run into problems. I haven't heard back yet about what all has happened to me but as soon as I do I'll let you all know.

Hawkeye · Post by **Hawkeye** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:17 pm

While it may not have worked, what you should have done is simply offered to go inside with one of the officers to a computer that has internet access, and take them directly to this site. Show them the hundreds of posts you have on here promoting and pimping the city of Omaha, and simply explain to them that you love the city, you love tall buildings and skylines, and that you were merely taking pics to put up on this site for all of us other Metropolitan Omaha and/or skyline geeks to enjoy.

Ol' Hawkeye imagines you might have gotten a few snickers of derision directed your way...but it probably would have diffused a tense situation almost immediately, and even gotten you out of being included on the terrorist watch list.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:24 pm

I actually thought about mentionind the site but I didn't. The last thing I would want is to have people looking over what we all say and somehow it being suspicous enough to get all of us in trouble.

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 3:35 am

DTO Luv wrote:Guy,

Thanks for being the voice of reason for the other side.

But what do you think should happen once a person is cleared of doing anything wrong? I doubt very much they'll go beyond looking into my past since it's much easier to just assume the worst. If they don't keep any records on me for being a threat to city/national seucurity I'll be fine. But put yourself in my shoes.

You were stopped and the same thing happened to you. Maybe the mext time you try to get on a plane, get stopped while driving, or even go to get money out of the bank you could run into problems. I haven't heard back yet about what all has happened to me but as soon as I do I'll let you all know.

"Thanks for being the voice of reason for the other side"?

I am a little worried you give me too much credit.

Regarding your situation, I hope it can get cleared up. I wasn't there so I don't know if you and the officers got confrontational or not. I can see where it would be easy to get on that path. So I hope that you somehow given the tenseness of the situation made a favorable impression on them and they will be willing to work with you.

You might consider trying Congressman Terry's office for assistance. If you don't know where you stand as far as whether you're on a list or not, you might ask his office to help you get to the bottom of the matter and see if they might support getting you off such a list if you're on one.

My experience going back to when Tom Cavanaugh and Hal Daub were Congressman is that House members are much more attentive to constituent service. You might very humbly ask them for assistance and explain that you are very young and don't know who else to turn to. Play the sympathy card. Explain your love for pictures, the website, promoting Omaha and the like. If you did make in conduct miscues with the officers acknowledge it to the Congressman's staff and explain it was just an outcome of being taken by surprise, being scared, or whatever. Again play the I am just a young guy sympathy card. If they can't or won't help you, ask them for advice of where you might go.

Finally, in this case let them know you're a voting Republican. Since you're in Nebraska City, enlist Fortenberry's office's assistance as well.

I think Congressmen understand what it is like to get run over by the bureaucracy.

I wish you best of luck. I am pulling for ya.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 4:11 am

Thanks for the advice Guy.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 3:50 am

GOOD NEWS! I'M OK.

I talked with the DC Sherrif's Dept. when I was in Omaha today and the Sgt. who got my file to send to the Feds threw it out. He said that I was the victim of over zealous police work. He also said this isn't the first time he's had this happen. He said there wasn't anything on me that showed sufficient eveidence that I was any sort of threat so he let it ride. Although he did still think it was an odd hobby to take pictures of buildings. I think I'll try naked chicks from now on.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 3:57 am

Well - congratulations DTO - I'm glad you stood up for your rights.

Now about those naked chicks - here's one for you:

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 4:29 am

Why is it so weird for people to like architecture?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 4:36 am

Because terrorists like architecture.

Another reason I heard why I got hassled so much in Omaha was because of Timothy McVeigh and the OKC bombing. I guess after that since Omaha was supposedly a target too they have been kind of leary about that stuff.

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 2:47 am

Coyote wrote:Well - congratulations DTO - I'm glad you stood up for your rights.

Now about those naked chicks - here's one for you:

I'd hang around and post some to the site, but after this sight here, I gotta go take a cold shower.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 2:53 am

You dirty old man.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 3:26 am

guy4omaha wrote:I'd hang around and post some to the site, but after this sight here, I gotta go take a cold shower.

So was it the breasts or the thighs?

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 2:28 pm

Geesh, isn't it obvious from those photos? Just look at those long, gorgeous necks!

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:02 pm

I've always been a leg man myself..

Oh wait..I forgot. We were talking about chickens

..

..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 8:27 pm

Nice.

Omaha Forums