Have you guys seen this?! The Colbert Report on Amtrak and railfanning (sort of). Hilarious. Feb. 2nd. Episode. Second segment, it starts at about 8:45. hahahaha You have to check it out. EDIT: Here is an updated link.
It was hilarious. Anyone who like taking pictures of rail subjects and thinks that it's kind of silly to detain photographers merely for taking photographs will like this.
Haha, very nice. Some people take their job WAY too seriously. "The threat is absolutely 100% real!.. Really really real!"
Thanks for posting that. I remember reading about the incident (on another forum) when it happened. They did a nice job with the parody. Only tough part was how long it took to download on my lousy ISP connection. But it was worth the wait. Regards Ed
Video clip For those, like me, whose connection is too slow to realistically wait through the full show version, a video clip is available here.
SHEESH! Let me get this straight, the Perp is.... - In a Public Building - On a Public Platform - Pefforming as requested by the Public Building's Owner - Nailed for Obeying the Law.......? Oh Well, never mind, I'm in over my head already......:bear-huh:
Don't forget, Hytec, that the perp was also participating in an Amtrak SPONSORED event: a photo contest. Would a terrorist really bother with fancy photographic gear that is so conspicuous when it is so much easier to take pictures with something small, like a cell phone camera? I wonder if any of these folks ever think about how ridiculous some of this really is.
And the day I happen to miss both John and Stephen, he plays this!! Thanks for letting us know JB! Man, that was funny! -Mike
Yeah but at least with all the camera gear he has an alibi. Isn't there a saying that the best place to hide is in plain sight? Eitherway the threat is really real...really really, real. :mtongue:
Ok, I finally got on or is that got in? Got it! After waiting through one Black Berry Pie Commercial. One mono-log. I finally got to here about the guy they "Railed" or was that "Nailed"? Anyway, there is a object lesson here. When training and picturing the railroad one must use a 007 digital camera or disguise the camera as a phone. Buy a ticket to anywhere even if it's back to the station, just so you look like an ordinary every day traveler. Never admit you are a railfan or Home Land Security officers will hall you away so you can take pictures of the inside of a cell. Beware...lest you be considered a threat and get a free trip in a patty wagon, bread and water and they use your free phone call to call some-one in Iran or is that...oh heck...does it matter?
My girlfriend and I just laughed our butts off! The part where they "review" and have the image of Tootle from the Little Golden Books in the backround is fantastic. I'm going to keep a copy of this on me for the inevitable encounters with law enforcement in the future.
Just wanna add something to this discussion. Railroads have fascinated people since their inception. Books were written about them, poets wrote about them, at least Thoreau did, artists painted trains and landscapes with trains. When photography was invented, trains became a favorite subject of the photographer. My point being that trains have captivated the interest of countless number of people,the famous and the ordinary,since trains and railroads began. What is it that officialdom and beauracracy fails to recognize about fascination for trains and railroading? Using the logic of anyone connected with Homeland Security and Police agencies throughout the country, anyone carrying any sort of photographic or recording device is a potential threat! What does that tell you? Any one of us can be suspect because we want a photo of family or friends but we must be careful where we take those photos because there may be a danger of compromising national security!! How ridiculous can things get? Hopefully things will get better now that there appears to be a changing national philosophy! Only time will tell! In the meantime, if I wanna take a picture of a train, I'll do it. I'll just wont hang around too long looking suspect! LOL CT
This kind of stuff is just dumb. But guess what? It happened to me. I lost My job of 22 years because I was taking video and photos and POSTING THEM ON LINE!!! .
When I am railfanning with my inexpensive digital camera nd get an extra horn toot I know that is one person that knows what I really doing. :shade:
what were you taking photos of and posting them? And why would you get fired unless your videos showed equipment or property that was proprietary in nature? CT
First I was not fired, I resigned to save my retirement & Vacation time. Do you think I really lost me job because of the video & Photos? or is it that I ticked some one off and he spent the last 5 years trying to get rid of me, and when he seen I have posted video on line that I did not have permission to do so, they said it was a violation of company policy and , here's the kicker, a homeland security issue. Not wanting to give them any free advertising I removed all the videos, but there is one still on YouTube with a quick shot of two of their trains. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1x06PETtvY"]YouTube - 30 Min In Ogden ~ Four Trains[/ame] I no longer have any of the other videos, I had not backed them up before my last computer crash because my CD burner was bad. But I have 22 years worth of photos of Buses & trains if you want to see them, five disk set sells for $50. You know a person can only put up with a bad boss for so lang anyway, and in the end he will get whats coming to him.
