Enthusiast or Criminal

[SuperBuickGuy]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/28/travel/russian-photographer-apology/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

so what do you think? these guys were a bunch of criminals who should be drawn and quartered for hiking to the top of a bunch of rocks? Or should the critics just get over themselves and recognize that it really is a bunch of rocks?

[TheSilverBuick]

Criminal. I haven't been to the pyramids, but I'll hazard a guess it's well posted not to climb on them, no sense in bitching about it if you get caught.

[Beagle]

attractive nuisance. They should be dismantled.

What was Hillary's comment supposed to have been ... "It was there"

[Barry Donovan]

he did it and it is done.

no worse than a 160mph trip perfectly on a 65mph highway..and not getting caught.

his mistake was sharing with media, or leaking it.

to ponder why they built them...a view for defense seems appropriate now after seeing the photos. theory this and that..something big may be doing something simple.

[38P]

Notwithstanding that this could be a trolling thread . . . Trespassing, even for video "hoonage" is still trespassing.

If it was an act of civil disobedience, then the trespassers must take the penalty. (See M. Gandhi, M.L. King, Jr. etc.)

The sites are protected by law to help prevent further wear, tear, looting, vandalism, and other forms of irreparable harm.

Also, under the "if everyone else did it" standard, the sites would soon be destroyed. And if everyone can't do it, why should this trespasser have any special rights?

[TheSilverBuick]

no worse than a 160mph trip perfectly on a 65mph highway..and not getting caught..

To me its not much different, you aren't supposed to go 160mph in a 65mph zone, even if it is your dream, you'd still be in trouble for going 160mph. Should we let everyone go 160mph because someone wanted to and then did? Should the Egyptians let everyone climb the pyramids? It doesn't take a crystal ball to know that would be a disaster, especially when you just want to take a picture of them and there is a crap ton of people all over it like ants?

[38P]

no worse than a 160mph trip perfectly on a 65mph highway..and not getting caught.

Not that 160 in a 65 is reasonable and proper, it is worse to the extent that:

a. a highway is for public travel and is replaceable. An ancient pyramid is not.
b. most highways are not international landmarks.
c. Speeding on a highway leaves no trace behind. Climbing a pyramid undoubtedly erodes and further damages the surface.
d. People will be more likely to attempt to copy the pyramid trespass than they will a highway banzai run.
e. Trespassing is inherently a more serious crime than the "revenue" crime of speeding (unless such speeding actually puts bystanders or fellow motorists at risk).
f. The unrestricted portions of the German Autobahns tend to prove that American speed limits are arbitrary and capricious limits on our personal liberty. Conversely, restricting access to international landmarks in order to preserve them for future generations is not unreasonable.


The measure of wrongfulness is not whether or not one is "caught."

[BBR]

Cool pics, but it's still trespassing.

Probably lucky they did not get caught onsite.

[STINEY]

Funny, nobody here bagged on DF and crew when they trespassed inside the old Detroit factories and the Packard factories, etc for photographing for posterities sake.


I think its cool. No problem with me for someone weighing the odds and rolling the dice. Cool pictures, and nobody can take that 15 minutes of fame away now.

That said, you wouldn't catch my happy-behind up there. God didn't intend loose rocks to be piled that high - and I don't trust alien engineering.

[BigBlockMopar]

Isn't there a difference between ancient landmarks and abandoned landmarks...?

[STINEY]

Ummm.... I'm fairly certain the original builders of both abandoned them both.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Isn't there a difference between ancient landmarks and abandoned landmarks...?

I've been to Egypt - I'm not sure I could come up with a distinction.... hmmmm, maybe because they make tourist dollars on it?

Then again, running on top of the walls in the ruins of Pompeii was awesome - apparently, we find out later, totally illegal... ah well, it's so hard to tell between broken-down-italian, and ruin-italian

[cstmwgn]

Isn't there a difference between ancient landmarks and abandoned landmarks...?

Their age?

[SuperBuickGuy]

Ummm.... I'm fairly certain the original builders of both abandoned them both.

the pyramids were simply grave markers.... so it stands to reason they'd abandon them (unless, of course, they were emo or goth Egyptians - then they'd party at their base and have weird, midnight meetings)

[TC]

Honestly who cares, though according to many accounts, lots of people climb the pyramids and get away with it, because they bribe their Guide and "tip" the tourist police that are at the pyramids...... So is someone really a criminal if they "pay" and get permission to climb it??......