I've been in a motel outside of San Diego for several days. Every morning the police

[Zorra]

come by and get a list of motel clients that spent the night. This cop told me they do this at all the motels along the freeway.

This bothers me; it feels like my privacy is being invaded both by the motel and by the police. I'm not even sure if it is legal.

Anyway, does anyone else resent this kind af action as an invasion of privacy?

[Catherine Vincent]

1. Why ARE you staying in a motel?

Someone had to ask!:)

[Zorra]

2. Don't worry; I'm not "entertaining" any politicians.

:P

[devilgrrl]

3. Are you meeting high priced call girls in motels again? Why you!

:silly::silly::silly::silly::silly::silly::silly::silly:

[99th_Monkey]

4. Who cares if it's "legal" or not? Certainly not our law enforcement authorities

see the DoJ, WH, et. al.

[Hekate]

5. It is definitely an invasion of privacy, but we seem to have lost our right to anonymity...

It's one of the things we used to take for granted in this country -- that if we left a small town and went to a big city we would be anonymous, and there's a lot of freedom in that. It may be a 20th century thing about cities, or maybe not, but it seemed to go along with the idea we had from the beginning that a person could move and reinvent him/herself -- cross the ocean, cross the mountain, go out West, change names...

I think those days are fast coming to an end, in our lifetime.

I have a feeling that what the cops are doing is legal, though. It just feels creepy.

Hekate

[LynzM]

14. I agree, Hekate

I think it's virtually impossible to become someone new or truly disappear these days, unless you want to live third-world or someplace truly uninhabited, and even then, I wouldn't bet on it. In some ways that *might* be good (ability to pursue truly evil people across the globe) but in many ways, it's not too much fun for those who'd like to start a new life for more mundane reasons!

[LanternWaste]

15. I agree and will go you one further...

I agree, and will go you one further.

For all the complaining and whining we do about figures of authority who may or may not have us under surveillance in public at any given time, it's the actual citizenry who carry video cameras with them at all times that creeps me out to no end.

That I may trip and fall and, unknown to me it somehow winds up on You tube the very next day is what gives me chills.

I expect intrusive behavior from the governments-- it's what they've been doing since the first Sumerian census. But to be eyed by my own neighbors? That someone with an infrared camera could get some shots of my g/f and I snuggling together, and the film winding up on someone's PC is just too... bizarre.

[zbdent]

6. Just realized something ... In Richfield, Ohio, is one of these businesses which appeared in the

local newspaper (Akron Beacon Journal) not too long ago, saying that they are developing web pages exclusively for Republican ...

Right across the street from their building is a motel ...

hmm ...

[UTUSN]

7. They're probably Minutemen looking for undocumented immigrants. NOT kidding!1 n/t

[Howardx]

8. in my town

they are looking for locals who rent motel rooms to party all night, they check license plates and if youre local they ask you why you are there.

[Zorra]

10. Wow, that's creepy. n/t

[Howardx]

13. ostensibly

its to bust meth heads, so they say.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Legal if the motel management does it willingly

Otherwise, there would likely have to be a local or state ordinance requiring this.

[Smith_3]

11. Patriot act :

Police can do whatever whenever to whoever they want at all time, as long as they don't interfere with anyone from a higher level of the hierachy.

[ThomWV]

12. Don't you understand? When the police know everything its easier to catch whoever they want.

[coalition_unwilling]

16. After all, we're all guilty of something, even if not all of us should

have to go to jail or Gitmo or whatever gulag is currently in fashion.

[hootinholler]

17. In Alexandria Va, they routinely cruise the motel parking lots running all the plates.

I have observed it personally.

-Hoot