ATS Leads by "Example".

Recently Tutton did a piece in the Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-tuton/how-safety-camera-technol_b_876917.html  You just know it was too good to pass up.  So with without further Ado, lets see how ATS leads by "example:

This is the post I left in 3 parts:

From the "Gun Control" chapter in Ron Paul's book, Liberty Defined (2011  Hachette Books)

...(referring to the use of economic downturns to restrain liberties)   "...as states and municipalities grow even more financially strained the police will be less able or willing to respond to crime.  In many areas local police could become more and more absorbed with revenue-generating activities like minor traffic violations and the asset-forfeiture opportunities of nonviolent drug offenses."

Des Moines, IA is installing cameras even as we speak

 I want to share my experience in Tallahassee with the Red Light Camera Program. I got a ticket in May, which said it had to be paid by May 27. There are no extensions, and I was told if it was not paid on time they would add $120 for paying late. Also, if it was not paid, a warrant could be issued. I started calling to find someone in the program with authority to let me pay on June 3rd, when I got my once-a-month disability check. I called the company that runs this program for Tallahassee... They are in Colorado. They did not know who I should contact. They just stressed there were no extensions. I called The Tallahassee Sheriff's Office, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, several departments with the City of Tallahassee, and three different staff members in the Mayor's Office. No one could give me a name for the office or a contact person's name and phone number! Two of the Mayor's aides could not help me. When I asked who brought this program to Tallahassee and how no one could know the name of the office and contact information responsible for the program, he tried to distance the mayor by saying "the commissioners" voted on the program. My response was,

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Paul Henry

The fellow with the lamp in the picture above is Diogenes, who legend has it was looking for an honest man in ancient Greece. Many here in America have given up looking for an honest politician, but now there is hope. In a May 22, 2011 St. Petersburg Times news story about red light camera ticket defense attorney Ted Hollander, a city council member from Ft. Lauderdale was interviewed. Times are tough there according to this excerpt:

Below are two examples of how two towns that ATS have been in, (Eastontown under a proposal, Tuscon ATS as the vendor) use different "definitions" of what "counts" as a "violation".

Eatontown, NJ
http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2011-05-12/Front_Page/Eatontown_considering_redlight_cameras.html

The main camera captures photos of an offending vehicle when all four of its tires pass an intersection’s white stop line while the corresponding traffic light is red.
 

If you're going to drive close to 90 MPH on I-10, a "State Legislator" tag is a good thing to have in case you are visited by the FHP! Of course, if someone that thinks you should be held accountable to the same laws you pass sees you do this, it may not be so great.

It's said some things you never forget how to do, like riding a bike. In my case, it's watching traffic. 25 years in law enforcement combined with an appreciation of American muscle cars and you'll notice the pretty blue Camaro that's blowing past you on I-10 going between 85 and 90 MPH in a 70 MPH zone. What's noteworthy about this  one is the tag, which is not legible in the above photo due to cellphone cameras not having great resolution- perhaps if someone had given me a camera and I was repaying them $5,000+ per month I'd have a better picture. Anyhow, what caught my eye was the writing on this Florida tag: STATE LEGISLATOR 18. This was eastbound on Interstate 10 on Saturday April 23, 2011 near Madison at about 8:53 AM according to the time stamp on the digital photo. My friend who was driving our car loaned me their "Crackberry" and within a few minutes I was online at the Legislature's website. State Legislator tags are numbered by district. 18 is issued to Rep. Ronald "Doc" Renuart of Ponte Verde Beach, who has been in office since 2008. Looking at his legislator page, I read the following:

Burned speed camera in England. Read the decal... why did we have a revolution in 1776?

Sheriff’s Dept. Confirms Real ID Drivers Licenses Now Part Of Facial Recognition System
March 12, 2011 ·
 
A 1787 Network Exclusive - by Adrian Wyllie 

DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this week that images taken from Florida drivers’ licenses have now been integrated into a multi-jurisdictional facial recognition database used by law enforcement agencies throughout Florida. 

This image from Panasonic shows how new facial recognition cameras eliminate windshield glare to capture faces in moving vehicles.

Recently I came accross this comment about Wandall on the National Journal on the Florida RLC Fight (I even left a comment below on it too):
http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/smile-for-the-red-light-camera--20110404#comments
 
Quote:  "But Wandall says she isn’t all that sympathetic to people who get tickets from automated cameras, saying that the Constitution was not written to help people commit crimes."
 
Ms. Wandall has a funny way of "viewing" the Constitution and Law in general I feel.
 
So let me respond this way:
 

• YOU mean the CRIME your camera buddies are doing they they FLIP THE PRESSUMPTION OF INNOCENCE! 
• YOU mean the CRIME your camera buddies are doing when they DENY DUE PROCESS!   You have a funny way of viewing the "Constitution". But so do your camera buddies! 
• YOU mean the CRIME your camera buddies are doing by shortenng AMBER TIMES!
• YOU mean the CRIME your camera buddies are doing by IGNORING THE LAW PUT IN ON RIGHT TURNS ON RED (HAINES CITY) or PER TICKET FEES by using COST NEUTRALITY TO GET AROUND IT! Notible mention:  ATS "reverse" flat fee in Collier County, ATS is reimbursed per ticket fee ($75 per ticket)! http://www.banthecams.org/20100624279/ATS-and-Collier-County-Doing-END-RUN-AROUND-LAW-PROHIBITING-PER-TICKET-FEES.html
• YOU mean the CRIME your camera buddies are doing by trying to DENY DEMOCRACY!  (SEE HOUSTON, PORT LAVACA, College Station, Wenachee just to name some).  Funny I thought the public had a "right" to vote on whether they wanted photo enforcement.  Your "friends" feel differently.   (I wonder why, they all claimed the "polls" showed "support" of photo enforcement in Houston).

No one has the right to ENDANGER anyone else.  I will agree with MS Wandall on that. 

It was just over a year ago when BanTheCams.org organized our first protest. Wow have we grown. We are now part of a coalition of 130 different groups with a membership of over 40,000 members. We are also working closely with a couple of lobbyist on the camera issue. I am pleased and proud of the efforts of all who are involved with supporting this effort.  Our latest milestone has been we moved a dead bill (Senate Bill 672) past the transportation committee.  Please help us finish this battle by helping us getting the word out. Participating in contacting your law makers and or local protest. Last but not lease any donation would greatly be appreciated.