[Jason Vines]

This is so absurd that not even The Onion would think of it: British authorities plan to implement a law that could land people who photograph police in jail for up to 10 years.

Apparently, the British government thought it wasn't crushing civil liberties enough.

I have difficulty imagining anyone really believes the law would protect against terrorism instead of public scrutiny of law enforcement.

By the way, I wonder what kind of nancy-boy weaklings can become cops in the UK (emboldening added):

Quote

Tallis, a London-based photographer, was covering the anti-BBC protest on Saturday 24 January when he was approached by a police officer. Tallis had just taken a picture of the officer, who then asked to see the picture. The photographer refused, arguing that, as a press photographer, he had a right to take pictures of police officers.

According to Tallis, the officer then tried to take the camera away. Before giving up, the officer said that Tallis 'shouldn't have taken that photo, you were intimidating me'. The incident was caught on camera by photojournalist Marc Vallee.

"OMG, someone's taking my picture! Crikey, that's scary!"

Man up, wimp.

(I tried to find Tallis's picture of this sterling male specimen, but I didn't find anything.)

[Jason Vines]

You can't make this stuff up: A British man has been sentenced to six months in jail for letting customers smoke in his pubs.

For the horrible crime of allowing people on his own property to choose what they would put in their mouths and inhale into their lungs, Nick Hogan has been given a stiffer prison sentence than some sex offenders and baby abusers.

I fear the authoritarian nanny state the UK has become might herald what lies in America's future.

[Cymro]

The use of the word "intimidating" is obviously not an accurate description of the photographer's intentions, nor of the way the Police officer felt. Intimidating behaviour gives the Police (and other agencies and organisations) authority to take certain actions, so it's no surprise that they'll call something "intimidating" to cover their backsides before doing something they actually shouldn't.

We'll have to see if the photography law survives the new administration, there's a good chance it won't. Unfortunately, the smoking ban isn't going anywhere, but hopefully the punishments will get less severe. And smoking, like religion, illustrates one of Democracy's great failings. The religionists are organized and we are not, the anti-tobacco campaigners are organized, and we are not.