Geocaching In A Fear Based World

[+J-Man]

My cache was recently removed by the police. Yes, it was by an airport, and yes, it has been the topic of conversation here before.

 

I will say that a part of me understands that this cache can be construed as a security breach. I mean, by picking up a travel bug from a cache and taking it on a plane, how do you know you're not carrying anything more nefarious than a toy car with a travel bug attached to it? But to what degree do we allow ourselves to be ruled by fear?

 

For those who have read my prior post here, you know that my house recently burned down, and a family member was killed in the fire. Though somewhat trepidatious now and forever after about having a fire in my fireplace, I will continue to (try to) enjoy them. I would consider it an incredible invasion of my rights to have the authorities tell me I can't. By the same token, I find it very offensive that the street by the airport, a public street that happens to have a great view of the runways, was closed off to auto and pedestrian traffic. Do we choose to live in fear of all possibilities, or do we go on about our lives with a little more care?

 

I, personally, am against everything that Bush stands for. This campaign of fear is just one aspect of it, but the fact that he bases our future on his religious beliefs is downright and utterly wrong. That he believes in his convictions is noble, and I applaud him at least for that, but to pass law based on religious conviction is wrong. Though this applies mainly to his stance on gay rights and abortion, it also applies to the topic at hand, among many other of the laws he has instated.

 

Well, we voted him in, and we're stuck with him for 4 more years. That means we will have to put up with a lessening of our privileges and rights. Hopefully the people who voted for him will come to understand in his next term in office that it is less desirable to be swift and steadfast in action but wrong than to weigh out all options and proceed with care and understanding that we, the United States, are looked to worldwide for guidance and leadership. What we do has far-reaching repercussions that have been overlooked for the past 3 years in order to serve our own agenda. Our actions impact world economy, foreign governments, and the innocent people of every country. We should never forget that though we are Americans, we are also citizens of the world. We need to have a little more care in what we do.

 

All this for an archived cache. I'll close by saying that I don't want my rights rescinded because some zealot has decided it's against my own interest. If this cache is forced out of commission, what's to stop the authorities from putting a stop to caching entirely under the pretense that it is too dangerous for our own good? They removed this cache because it was too close to the airport, and because people were taking items of unknown origin on the plane with them. Why, then, would we assume that they won't remove all caches because travel bugs could be picked up from any cache?

 

Stepping down now from my soapbox,

J-Man

[TinAbbey]

From my view it makes sense to archive that. Airports are hub, with thousands of people there, soooo why wouldn't they take no chances.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I'm really sorry about your house and the death of your family member.

 

I'm not so sorry about your cache; I can see where the authorities might be concerned.

 

The rest didn't really seem related.

[Keystone]

Hello,

 

Your cache is already the subject of a lengthy, active forum thread here. Feel free to post to that topic. But please, park the politics at the door. This is a geocaching forum.

 

Closing this thread.