I was taking pictures of my daughters. A stranger thought I was exploiting them.

[MADem]

148. I think if the HS guy did get a sense that something was genuinely awry he could have

--Arrested the guy and instructed the ferry Captain to send a crewmember to escort the young ladies to a space in the pilot house away from the fellow to keep them safe;

--Radioed for backup to meet him at the dock (they were on a ferry, after all!).

We don't do that noxious Rainbow Connection Alert System any more, but if that HS guy had binoculars out, he might have been looking at seabirds, or he might have been a schmuck on the ramparts against a "credible threat." They don't advertise all of 'em. No need to freak people out.

That whole area is very "port heavy." And there are lots of little inlets and places to hide--it was a great place during Prohibition for that very reason. People smuggling -- not just via container, but also mixed up with crews of sketchy vessels--has happened. Maybe they were looking for something on those lines, and that's why that guy was on the ferry in the first place. Or maybe they were looking for something a bit more violent. Maybe it was something they needed to look out for as they were departing, and arriving, or when they passed close by to docks.

When you think about soft targets, well...think back to the COLE. To be honest, that's where my head went when I read the bit about the binoculars...! I hope I am wrong!