Miami Police Take New Tack Against Terror (ID Sweeps)

This is exactly what I would expect to see from any governmental agency------total incompetence and lack of common sense.

Upon further reflection, I disagree with you strongly.

This is brilliant - think about this:

If the Miami police started doing ID checks on say mass transit, certain segments of the community would flip out and say they are targeting said segments of the community.

If the Miami police started setting up checkpoints on the roads for ID checks, unless the people have been conditioned by the drunk driving/insurance/revenue generation checkpoints, there would be a huge outcry. Same with large public gatherings such as sporting events, where such checks would not only piss people off, but could financially impact major businesses who need a lot of people moving through certain areas in a short amount of time, lest they be demanding their money back for missing something because they had to stand in an ID check line.

Where do people want to feel really secure, because they are nervous about what they are carrying?*BAM* - Banks.

People are conditioned that there are armed guards and cameras at major banks. Nevermind that statistically speaking, most crime doesn't happen anywhere near a bank..

People that are carrying or picking up money or checks or whatever valuables, are not going to necessarily mind increased security.

Furthermore, if a real patriot stands up to this, and it goes to the courts, the Miami PD/City of Miami/State of Florida needs simply to trot out the vague threats against the banks, and the patriot is in deep legal trouble, because they would be interfering with homeland security.

Five years from now, the city and state say "our program is a success, so we are going to expand it". Many people would be conditioned to showing IDs by then, and so wouldn't say anything.

It's a brilliant idea to do this at banks. Utterly brilliant.

I've noticed a disturbing trend developing over the past 20 or so years, but it has really picked up speed since 9/11. The police and the courts are no longer the friends of the common man. It's a real problem.

And the government in general.

Remember when the Bush administration wanted the huge database on everybody? Big outcry, so they retracted it, but it still happened, only at the state level.

Property rights were just about obliterated by the USSC rulings on eminent domain. Didn't see President Bush and Congress working to protect private property owners - oh sure, they talked about it, but talk costs and means nothing.

The PATRIOT Acts, the fact that not only were the outlines of these already laying around on a shelf somewhere, just waiting to be trotted out, but they named them PATRIOT knowing full well that it would hard to argue against something named that.

Remember after 9/11, the liberal Senators and Representatives that wanted the National Guard stationed on bridges and around certain buildings and areas, checking people (Boxer from California being one of the liberals)?

I feel ashamed at the future that we are leaving for our grandchildren.

Sure, they'll be safe from terrorists (not really, but the we can pretend that all of these measures will protect them). They won't be safe from the government.

What's this? FReepers are actually starting to criticize government again? Perhaps there's still hope...

Not much hope - none of these threads generate nearly the amount of interest that a thread on partying teenagers in Aruba, or comments an actor made generates.

I don't know if it's a case of people being scared to the point where they want or think only the government can save them, or if they are just of the "it doesn't affect me, so it's not my problem" mindset, or if they have come to embrace more government, or even a combination of all three.

If Bill Clinton were in office, or Janet Reno were pushing this (the cops stopping people at random and demanding IDs), people would have stress fractures in their fingers from typing so hard and so fast denouncing this.

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