Want To Get Away From It All?

by Chuck Moe | 2:00 pm, March 21, 2010 | Comments Off

You may want to reconsider that camping get-away you have planned if you’re thinking of seclusion, getting away from technology, and getting “back in touch” with mother nature. Depending on where you are camping, the only touching that may be going on is the Federal Park Ranger touching the video camera controls aimed at your tent.

IslandPacket.com posted an article by Tony Bartelme of postandcourier.com that illustrates the ever growing number of video surveillance in Federal U.S. Parks.

Last month, Herman Jacob took his daughter and her friend camping in the Francis Marion National Forest. While poking around for some firewood, Jacob noticed a wire. He pulled on it and followed it to a video camera and antenna.

The camera didn’t have any markings identifying its owner, so Jacob took it home and called law enforcement agencies to find out if it was theirs, all the while wondering why someone would station a video camera in an isolated clearing in the woods.

He eventually received a call from Mark Heitzman of the U.S. Forest Service.

In a stiff voice, Heitzman ordered Jacob to turn it back over to his agency, explaining that it had been set up to monitor “illicit activities.” Jacob returned the camera but felt uneasy.

The article then explains that,

In various cases, judges ruled that a video camera is effectively an extension of a law enforcement officer’s eyes and ears. In other words, if an officer can eyeball a campground in person, it’s OK to station a video camera in his or her place.

I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t get that “land of the free” feeling when law enforcement officer’s are “eyeballing” me while I camp. The last time I saw someone get “eyeballed” was on the former HBO series “Oz” and it didn’t turn out real well for the guy getting “eyeballed.”

Now go out and enjoy the great outdoors but remember to comb your hair and tidy up as you might be on candid camera.

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