Amateur Photographer
You have heard, I'm sure, of those pictures of U. S. soldier in charge of Iraqi prisoners. Those photos were not taken by a photographer. Those photos came out of some one's digital camera. Some grunt had a camera and access to the internet. The shot heard around the world. To view the actual pictures click here. Note, they are extremely graphic.
Those photos of the coffins that came back from Iraq were also taken by an amateur. The lady who took the photo of the coffin's coming back from Iraq was fired. There is plenty of talk of banning cameras in all kinds of places. Ban them on the streets of America. The government has cameras on every street corner. I cannot get access to them if I get in trouble. Only the government can use them against me. My company has ordered all cameras off the property for years and just recently ordered all picture phones away.
If you think about it from the company's/military's point of view, they know stupid stuff is happening. They know there is nothing they can do about all of it. They also know that an eyewitness is not nearly as damaging as a photo. There is an old saying that a photograph is worth a thousand words. That comes from early days of publishing with photographs. The impact of a story is far more potent when you have a photo or video footage.
I remember a buddy of mine getting backed-into by a woman in a parking lot. She was ready to sue until I broke out the camera. Her attitude completely changed the instant I started taking pictures. There are any number of times in my life I wish I could have taken a picture of something stupid that would get some one in trouble. I would love to put a camera on the front of every bus I ride and catch those assholes who cut off the bus. Don't they know the bus can't stop? Don't they know it will not be a free ride if they are smooshed by a bus while trying to turn right in front of it? I would like to get every single car that passes on the right on this street out front of my apartment. Maybe I'll set up my camera on a tripod and start catching idiots passing on the right. I'll write my congressmen (oh, and make sure to CC the media) and find out what happens.
I've thought of hiring myself out as a party photographer. That would be a cool career. It would all end with my murder after taking one of those photos that gets people killed.