Most amazing

I was watching the news a few days ago and came across an incredible proposal that called for the ban of taking photographs of children in public places. The rationale was this:

"The Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, is considering laws governing unauthorised photography and publication, particularly of children, after the discovery of voyeuristic websites with pictures of children at sports events and on beaches - including one gay site with shots of a group of Melbourne schoolboy rowers. His nationwide consultation on the issue has just ended." (see Sydney Morning Herald for full article).

I remember the first time I came to Australia a decade ago, the most important thing we took back with us was not the clinging koalas things that cost $2 for a pack of 6 or the toothache-inducing hard nougats or the t-shirts that has the fabulous bikini-clad woman body drawn onto it (and I admit that it did looked weird on a 12 year-old) but it was the tape of my young brother running freely along the beach. He was approaching the waves with some trepidation as they were retreating. When the waves came towards him, he ran from it in fear and yet at the same time, in enjoyment as if taunting the waves that they would never get him if he ran fast enough.

Fast forward to if this proposal is passed and a nationwide ban on public photography of children is issued. What kind of memories can we get from our time on the fabulous beaches of Australia? Some people save up for a long long time just to get to travel to Bondi Beach or the Surfer's Paradise only to be told that photography is not allowed for fear of voyeurism or the pictures landing in the grubby paws of paedophiles? What about the fight against terrorism? Didn't the media and prominent politicians always say that we should not bow to terror and should carry on with our lives as they were? Why should we change our behavior now because there is the slight possibility of voyeurism? Are we then shrinking away from fighting against paedophiles?

If the paedophiles are looking for something to excite them, they can find it in the simplest form; it doesn't even have to be photography. Advertisements with kids in them might suffice. Are we going to ban those too? Somehow I don't think the people from Baby Guess are going to be very pleased.