Unfunny Foto Follies

Alert reader Carol in Chicago sent me a link to the New York Times article "Picture This, and Risk Arrest," by Jim Dwyer, noting a strong similarity to the opening chapters of My Fellow Americans:

One afternoon, Duane P. Kerzic was arrested by the Amtrak police while taking pictures of a train pulling into Pennsylvania Station. At first, the police asked him to delete the images from his camera, but he refused. He ended up handcuffed to the wall of a holding cell while an officer wrote a ticket for trespassing.

Mr. Kerzic, it turns out, was taking pictures for an Amtrak-sponsored contest, called "Picture Our Train." I wish this story was an anomaly but, unfortunately, this kind of thing is an all-too-common occurrence. The beginning of My Fellow Americans was inspired—if that's the right word—by the arrest of some people who were photographing a water reservoir. Google a little and you'll find more examples. When do good intentions cross the line into destructive hysteria? When people forget to trust the whispering voice of common sense. Here's another photo-related story, just as scary, even though it's not about terrorism: "They Called Me a Child Pornographer," by Jody Jenkins (Salon).

Posted: Monday, August 23, 2010 - 09:44 am