Thanks.:blush:

.

The problem is not how compliance with laws is being monitored, it's what the laws are that are being enforced. Once law enforcement has these tools in place, they can easily put them to use for any other purpose that can be devised by our law-making bodies.

I don't mean just the cameras, but the wire-tapping, data stockpiling; the whole trend towards an omnipotent caretaker. We want to be protected from harm, but the tools themselves don't discriminate their usage. They can be used equally for any purpose.

To me, the issue becomes whether you trust the moral compass of your government. What is trickier is that you have to make guess as to what the moral compass of all future governments will consist of; because once these tools are in place, their usage will change with the political climate.

How can we guess at what laws our future governments will put in place? We can look at human nature, which never changes, as a guide. We can also look at the history of human culture, at how power is weilded in human civilizations. We have to ask ourselves: are we prepared to trust a governmental body with the ultimate power (omnipotence)? Or should we expect some misuse, and exercise appropriate caution?

An update on a related issue.

We have locals here that are starting to do something similar.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/tra...icle334686.ece

The main street in our state capital (where I live) is monitored 24/7 by cameras. It has been for over a decade now. The reason it was brought in is because the street is one big huge mall with a casino at one end, and late in the evening after people have been drinking etc there was a massive violence problem developing.

Since the cameras have been brought in, violence has decreased, and also it gives police the ability to see offenders on camera which obviously helps with identification if they're not caught at the time.