Posted on 07/16/2002 8:34:23 AM PDT by NoLongerLurker
As part of the country's war against terrorism, the Bush administration by next month wants to recruit a million letter carriers, utility workers and others whose jobs allow them access to private homes into a contingent of organized government informants.
The Terrorism Information and Prevention System (Operation TIPS), a national reporting pilot program, is scheduled to start next month in 10 cities, with 1 million informants — or nearly 4 percent of Americans — initially participating in the program.
The program will allow volunteers, whose routines make them well-positioned to recognize suspect activities, to report the same to the Justice Department, which is running the project. The Justice Department will enter the information into a database, which will then be broadly available within the department, and to state and local agencies and local police forces. At local and state levels, the program will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Operation TIPS is one part of President Bush's new volunteer Citizen Corps program that urges Americans to keep their neighborhoods safe. The program is described on the government Web site www.citizencorps.gov.
"This broad network of volunteer efforts will harness the power of the American people by relying on their individual skills and interests to prepare local communities to effectively prevent and respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, or any kind of disaster," the program's description on the Web site states.
The program has already alarmed several civil liberties groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutherford Institute, which say the administration should not allow TIPS to become "an end run around the Constitution."
Critics say that having Americans act as "domestic informants" is reminiscent of the infamous Stasi, the new-disbanded communist East German secret police service that snooped on dissidents and ordinary East German citizens for more than 40 years, compiling a huge catalogue of notes.
Rachel King, an ACLU legislative counsel, said yesterday the organization is concerned that law enforcement will use the volunteers, especially those whose occupations allow them to enter homes and monitor residents — to search people's residences, without a warrant. She said that the organization is also worried that the program will adversely affect the fight against terrorism by wasting resources on useless tips and that the program will encourage vigilantism and racial profiling.
"The administration apparently wants to implement a program that will turn local cable or gas or electrical technicians into government-sanctioned peeping Toms," Miss King said.
John Whitehead, executive director of the Rutherford Institute, agreed.
"This is George Orwell's '1984.' It's an absolutely horrible and very dangerous idea," he said. "It's making Americans into government snoops. President Bush wants the average American to do what the FBI should be doing. In the end, though, nothing is going to prevent terrorists from crashing planes into buildings."
A Justice Department official in charge of answering questions about Operation TIPS was out of the office yesterday and not available for comment.
IMHO, the Patriot act. the medical emergency act, FEMA and other similar legislations and Presidential directives have laid the basis for the imposition of a dictatorship in our country. All it will take would be another greater disaster and we'll find ourselves in martial law with all civil liberties suspended.
The Clinton administration turned my stomach. This bunch scares the sh!t out of me.
I say there should be monetary gain for the snitch, for information that leads to an arrest $25,000. if convicted add $100,000. that should insure a steady uninterrupted flow of information, Grandpa always asked ‘whats in it for me’ and operated on the principal of ‘nothing for nothing’ words to live by.
Agreed. And we're watching it like a slow-motion car wreck. The only thing that is keeping most Americans from jumping up and shrieking with alarm are the three facts that (1) Bush has good poll numbers, which keep the press and the wimp Dims from protesting these awful moves for fear of losing ratings or elections. (2) Dubya's supporters have an almost religious fervor about him; he can do no wrong --he cannot even consider doing any wrong -- hence, there's nothing to worry about even if he suspends the Constitution entirely. (3) Just as the Dims are ignoring their duty to protect the Constitition by speaking out against these scary measures, the Pubs are ignoring theirs by going along with them. Party and/or popularity have become more important than Liberty to these guys. (4) We citizens aren't in the streets protesting this, as we should be (while we still can.).
This is waaaay beyond Dim vs. Pub or left vs. right -- this is Constitution vs. No Constitution
If it were any other president, or any other moment in history, the people, press and political parties would never allow the WH to assuming so much power unto itself. But we let Bush do it because he says his favorite politician is Jesus.
What if Bush is not the choirboy his unquestioning and incurious supporters think? What if he -- like the proverbial wolf, the antichrist, and the pederast priest -- is not what he seems to be on the surface?
Not saying he is -- but he could be. And if he IS other than he pretends -- if he actually IS planning to become King George I, he must be enjoying our supine and lazy pacifism as he slowly draws the net ever tighter around our liberties. With our enthusiastic -- even slavish -- support.
So, don't flirt with your neighbor's wife or take credit for your co-workers' ideas, always tip the pizza delivery guy and give a fruitcake to the mailman, return your library books on time, don't express any controversial political opinions, and everything should be fine!
I agree too, however, I would like to hear some alternative plans that other Freepers may have. Will we be safer with this new "police state"? I think the answer is 'yes'. So, I guess the question is at what lengths are we willing to go to protect ourselves?
I think you hit the nail on the head though. Will the 'Bots admit they applauded all this, or will they deny it?
Sad Indeed.
Cameras in public places. License readers on our roads. Citizens spying on citizens. I'm be damned if this doesn't sound like Soviet Russia. What's next?
Last year they were talking about our children and how they should be evaluated early to decide what career goals they should be forced into. Honest to God, this is exactly what took place in Soviet Russia.
We are decades beyond the point where we should have evaluated what our federal officials are up to and put a stop to most of it.
I don't think so. I believe that it would be .4% of the population.
4% or .4%, I still don't like it.
Who said (paraphrased): "This country would be a lot easier to run if it were a dictatorship. Particularly if I were the dictator." George W. Bush.
Listen to what people say and we might figure out what they are planning to do.
I wonder if the 'Bots in the TIPS Squads will get nifty new Uniforms, arm bands, and shiny Black Boots.
Oh Well, according to the 'Bots, Dubya walks on water, Heals the Sick, restores sight to the blind, and never takes off his jacket in the Oval Office.
We will be as safe with letter carriers and utility workers guarding our "communities" as we are with our current airport security screeners. If that doesn't raise the hair on the back of your head, nothing will.
Here's some scenarios to think of: the letter carrier is afraid of your dog, so makes a "tip." The garbage men don't like the fact that you complained about them destroying your cans or dumping garbage all over your lawn, so they report something "suspicious" about you. A meter-reader is a Muslim, and doesn't like your American flag(s), so they dial the tip line. You are doing research on Islam, so happen to visit an terrorist site, and your ISP dutifully reports you.
Yes sir, I feel safer.
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