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The Zoo

    Hey, everyone. I have always been fascinated by animals. I have, however, quit going to the zoo. I used to go pretty regularly. One day I noticed how the animals would get behind any small projection of rock or vegetation, however minute an amount of cover it might be, trying to get just a smidgen of privacy. Being stared at all the time would literally drive some animals, or people, over the edge.
      One of the needs of creatures the world over is to simply have a moment to themselves. Many times I have sat in a public place and felt sorry for an attractive woman who drew the insolent stares of nearby males. I try to make it a point, at times, just to look the other way. Just as a matter of good manners, you know? Is it possible that beauty can be a curse?
     But the point of this post is to talk about the proliferation of cameras, hidden and otherwise. Several years ago, I saw an article that stated that the average Londoner, on his trip to work, appeared on no less than 628 cameras. This sort of freaked me out. Here in the states, they have put traffic light cameras everywhere. They've done this as a source of revenue but I find it to be an invasion of privacy. There is a movement afoot to combine this with facial recognition technology and spot wanted criminals. Every store and God knows how many restrooms, have the tiny invaders, some hidden and some not.
     When I was in Colorado last year, I saw that they had done away with toll booths. A camera takes a picture of your license plate and they mail you a bill for the toll. They are even nice enough to charge you for the postage. After all, it is for their convenience since it saves them the expense of booths and employees.
      Many cameras and scanning devices have been used legally and then abused by unsavory people at airports and other places. Even unfortunate people who have to wear adult diapers have been subjected to strip searches, including one 90 year old lady. The original excuse for much of this was terrorists but has descended to people getting that blond lady's phone number from her license plate. One cable company was denied the permission to put a camera in their set-top box. Their excuse? They wanted the set to recognize you when you came in the door and put up a list of your favorite programs.
     A few years ago, I built a deck on the back of my house and it promptly showed up on my tax statement. When I wondered how that happened without a visit from the county, I learned that aircraft took pictures of rural areas and these were used to identify new sources of revenue. Fire watchers from the forestry division fly overhead on a regular basis, searching for people illegally burning. It is unbelievable that in America, you have to get someone's permission to burn a box. I understand the thought but the principle bothers me.
     The drug police types fly around in helicopters, using infrared cameras to see people in the woods, assuming they are pot growers. After all, what would anyone else want to do in the forest? No telling how much money it would save if they just legalized the stuff. They like cold nights or mornings because the infrared works better with the lower temps. All you lovebirds out there, smile for the camera. I guess that as long as our particular group is not bothered, we abide this stuff. What if certain groups were singled out? Like smokers, or drinkers, or Christians, or blacks or gays? What if they just decided to get rid of all the people who subscribe to the New York Times or love to drink ice tea? Silly, I know, but are we developing a society with too much control? Certainly we are.
     The paparazzi (spelling ?) make celebrities lives miserable with their unwanted attentions to the stars. I wonder if it shouldn't be illegal to take peoples' photo, or video footage without their knowledge and consent. Somehow we have let all this legislation get passed until a police state is more possible in free countries than we'd care to admit. If I go to JC Penneys to buy a shirt, must I really be on camera? Hey, get this. If you get your oil changed at Wal-Mart, they 'have to have' your phone number so they can run you through the system. The reasons vary as you ask about this stuff. Do they sell the info to phone marketers? Do they protect themselves from being sued over leaving your plug out? Younger people just take this as a matter of course, since they have grown up with it. But something inside our head should scream when you cannot go use cash and get your oil changed without anyone knowing who you are. It is no one's business but mine. A simple business transaction between me and them becomes a bone of contention. If you refuse to give them your phone number, you may have someone follow you around the store. But hey, you're on camera anyway.
     Sure, there is some good that comes from this stuff. And the lion in the zoo gets fed regularly.
    From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.

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