CTV cameraman Lucien Millette accompanied me to Wilmington, Delaware last week to cover the Conrad Black trial. Turns out Lucien made almost as much news as I did for his run-in with some excitable security guards at the hotel that Black was staying at. There's a full report on Lucien's adventures in Wilmington here.
What's not very funny is how anyone with an ounce of authority in the U.S. — from customs officers to bouncers at nightclubs — is using the War on Terror (TM) as an excuse for arbitrary and silly invasions of privacy.
David,
Old buddy, I thought your posting could use a little clarification.
I was on public property, obviously a professional cameraman (my van and equipment), out in the open in plain view, and within the law. It's doubtful I looked
like a terrorist, but as one of the hotel's stellar sleuths pointed out to me “Sir, even the terrorists don't look like terrorists!”
The security guards crossed the street to harrass me. They are not police, and have limited powers on hotel property.
All this for a shot of Conrad Black's hotel.
All in a day's work.
Cheers,
Lucien