police stop weapons screening at obama rally.

[redwing]

my son works in lawenforcement in texas. he sent me this e-mail:

DALLAS -- Security details at Barack Obama's rally Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena.

The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security.

Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police Department's homeland security and special operations divisions, said the order -- apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service -- was meant to speed up the long lines outside and fill the arena's vacant seats before Obama came on.

"Sure," said Lawrence, when asked if he was concerned by the great number of people who had gotten into the building without being checked. But, he added, the turnout of more than 17,000 people seemed to be a "friendly crowd."

The Secret Service did not return a call from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.

Doors opened to the public at 10 a.m., and for the first hour security officers scanned each person who came in and checked their belongings in a process that kept movement of the long lines at a crawl. Then, about 11 a.m., an order came down to allow the people in without being checked.

Several Dallas police officers said it worried them that the arena was packed with people who got in without even a cursory inspection.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because, they said, the order was made by federal officials who were in charge of security at the event.

"How can you not be concerned in this day and age," said one policeman.

[Ddavid from NC]

Very curious story...I hope we never have to reference if because of an event.

[Tehilah Ba'Aretz]

Security procedures assume that everyone is guilty until proven innocent. I hate that! I hate having to prove my innocence over and over. I hate the invasion of my privacy. I hate it that I cannot carry a pocket knife.

[stan4257]

Security procedures assume that everyone is guilty until proven innocent. I hate that! I hate having to prove my innocence over and over. I hate the invasion of my privacy. I hate it that I cannot carry a pocket knife.

I would think that a lot of people living in Jerusalem would feel safer because of all the security, even though it must be a great nuisance.

[buckthesystem]

Security procedures assume that everyone is guilty until proven innocent. I hate that! I hate having to prove my innocence over and over. I hate the invasion of my privacy. I hate it that I cannot carry a pocket knife.

I would think that a lot of people living in Jerusalem would feel safer because of all the security, even though it must be a great nuisance.

Stan, I think the world is "going overboard" with security. There is a difference between "reasonable" security, and "over the top" security.

"Over the top" security is taking peoples' pocket knives from them and taking a ridiculously long time because every third person has to be searched.

There is pointless security, this is demanding ID from people at places where a few years ago they could just walk in, and subjecting them to fingerprint checks, eye scans and other forms of ultra-intrusive technology.

Pointless security brings about a PERCEPTION of safety! Nothing more.

I was having a clean out the other day of old papers and I came across some literature on face recognition technology (which at the time was in its infancy) from 1998. It said plainly that face recognition technology was "highly illegal" throughout the world. Then I found an article from a magazine about the year 2000 superbowl and the fans being subjected to "illegal" face recognition technology. Now it is done openly "all over the place" and considered "run of the mill".

Makes me wonder when and how the people of the world "just rolled over" on this one. It was probably their desire to give up basic God given rights for perceived security.

Oh how so many people have been deceived!!!

[stan4257]

Security procedures assume that everyone is guilty until proven innocent. I hate that! I hate having to prove my innocence over and over. I hate the invasion of my privacy. I hate it that I cannot carry a pocket knife.

I would think that a lot of people living in Jerusalem would feel safer because of all the security, even though it must be a great nuisance.

Stan, I think the world is "going overboard" with security. There is a difference between "reasonable" security, and "over the top" security.

Now that sounds very different. Thank you.

I have no experience of that sort of thing here. Apart from going through a metal detector at airports and knowing there are cameras in the busy streets and at railway stations, we just walk about as we always did. And no ID, except for banking and when boarding a plane. Even the cameras are only for review after an event so that criminals can be identified and traced.

There must be other security in the background but it does not come to my notice on a day to day basis.

But then Australia has always been noted for being casual. A great place to live and we seem to survive.

[windwhisperd]

With my wife and her family being into the politics thing and their being black. They have all said, at one point in time or another," If Obama were to be elected, he will very quickly killed."

That is a total shame that people think like that. This is one of the many reasons why I do not support the government. They say "IT is by the people and for the people" Yeah right. The words are said for the people, but the actions and decisions are strictly made by the government.