[Genoa]

Some federal security in D.C. are long on zeal and short on sense.
I remember the time I was at the National Archives a few years ago, and someone was trying to take a photograph of the original Bill of Rights through the glass. The uniformed security cop (a chubby black lady, looked to be about 25 or so) stepped up to him and said, "No pictures!"
He replied, "There's no flash! The sign says No Flash Pictures."
She repeated, louder, "No pictures!"
He didn't get his picture.

[muawiyah]

Virtually ALL digital cameras have a built in strobe function. I would imagine the guards are not able to examine all the cameras to make sure the strobe light is off.

[esoxmagnum]

We took the kids down to Sprinfield Ill this summer, and we toured the Lincoln Museum (since it was about 300 million of our state tax dollars, figured why not).

We were told no cameras allowed. I asked why, and we were told “because the artists who created these exhibits own the photographic rights to them”

Hmmm. My museum. My tax dollars. But... you could buy all sorts of post cards of the exhibits.

We went over to the capitol building. No pictures. I asked why. Security reasons.

My wife was born in Hungary during communist occupation, and we travel there much, and have been traveling there since the early 80’s. She remarked “it reminds me of home” She was of course referring to all the “no camera” signs the soviets had all over the place.

It really did get me to think on the 3 hour drive back “are we going in that direction?, is our own government afraid of We the People?”

Over the last year, I am realizing more and more, that yes indeed, we are going in that direction.

Soon, the Chinese will may more capitalist than we are, and some of the former USSR states may be more of a representative democracy.