Posted on 08/06/2002 4:35:50 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
Edited on 04/22/2004 12:34:19 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
New York
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I'm all for it. And, in essence, you all are, too: if you think your posts to FR are "secret" forever, fuggedaboudit. Anyone who really wants to know your internet habits can find them.
And let me tell you: if I suspect a neighbor, co-worker, acquaintance, client, etc. of being a terrorist, I'll report it: BIG TIME. The President said we should do this: be vigilante but not afraid, pay close attention to what is going on around you. TIPS is no more than a formalization of that: and I think the Teamsters need a pat on the back for enlisting into this War on Terror.
Who among us couldn't use a little more knowledge/training as to exactly what is "suspicious" activity?? I know I could.
Think about it: if there are (conceivably) 50,000 Al Qaeda members infiltrated into the USA, we COULD have 245 MILLION others tryin' to smoke 'em out. Talk about the ultimate Army.
Yes, I know there might be some false reports and some real idiocy going on. Thankfully, that is where the Constitution and good sense will come in.
We are at war, and if the enemy is among us (and he is), we citizens are obligated to do all we can to find them.
The World War II generation gave all they could give: freedom was on the line, not only for America but for the world. Today the same is at stake. No Nazi in America was given space in the 1940s, and no Al Qaeda cell should be given the benefit of the doubt in the 2000s.
rd
This is really the only weapon we've got. It's not possible, and I wouldn't like it, if the feds watched all of us close enough to determine which one of us is a terrorist. People paying attention to their surroundings is the only way. I think the idea that someone can fraudulently turn someone in they don't like and have some bad thing happen to them is nuts. There has to be some evidence of something. Otherwise, why would the feds listen to the report longer than to determine if there's anything there.
And if you think about it, the teamsters in the trucking industry, is likely the ones to be able to spot the next strike. Which has a high likelyhood of being delivered by truck.
In essence, gov. seems to be asking for citizen alertness. About 60-70% of police cases are cleared via "tips." Will be interesting to see if this number improves.
He outlined a scenario where a person applies for a government loan or a job and is told that a suspicious activity has been logged in the databank because somebody "didn't like their dog barking in the middle of the night" or the political shirt they were wearing.
I think I'll hang my hat with Leahy on this.
The very ESSENCE of maintaining freedom is found in the CITIZENRY: to wit, the 2nd Amendment. The 'TIPS' idea is an extension: protection by staying alert. Just like the WW2 generation was told to do.
During WWII many citizens volunteered to keep an eye out for the war effort.
The use of the word "spy" is a deliberate attempt to emotionally charge a situation where we are all being asked to be viligant and watchful. As stated, we have the enemy within, and this seems a logical step in alerting authorities to suspicious behavior.
Ignore the hyperventiliated protests coming from the Left. They are being disingenious at best and deliberately provocative at worst in trying to make this an issue.
(I've been a member of 5 unions so far in my lifetime. At the national level, they're virtually all useless, corrupt, anti-capitalist, and anti-freedom Socialism-supporters.)
Good, and so will I. Do you not see the difference between providing a mechanism to report suspicious behavior versus actively recruiting citizens and instructing them to spy on each other?
Who among us couldn't use a little more knowledge/training as to exactly what is "suspicious" activity??
Would the training be administered by the same law enforcement groups that consider making references to the Constitution a sign that you're an extremist wacko?
Yes, I know there might be some false reports and some real idiocy going on. Thankfully, that is where the Constitution and good sense will come in.
The same good sense exhibited by airline security screeners?
I've said this before: our problem is not lack of information. We had all the information we needed to prevent the 9/11 attacks, but we failed to analyze and act on it properly. Securing the borders and focusing on the statistically likely threats (yes, this includes profiling) is a much better use of our resources than running a program to create a nation of snitches.
Our nation has an enemy within: that has been proven. Mobilizing the people to notice, and take part in, the War Effort here is a great idea. The alternative of having "a special few" spies here and there would be met with an even more "Big Brother is Watching!" resistance! Instead, with TIPS, thousands are asked to be involved!
Respectfully, rd.
Call it paranoia if you want; I call it a natural distrust of government and an unwillingness to grant power that can be so easily abused. Can you honestly say that you would support this program if it were being proposed by Bill Clinton and would be run by Janet Reno?
Our nation has an enemy within: that has been proven.
The enemy is radical Islam and its followers. Normal Americans should not have to tolerate being spied on and losing their privacy because of the murderous actions of a fanatical cult. Targeted efforts to identify and eliminate terrorist cells will be much more effective than broad-based surveillance of all citizens. (And maybe we could stop rubber-stamping Saudi visas while we're at it).
I suspect we'll continue to disagree on this, but I do appreciate your civility.
The World War II generation knew that in dangerous times we have to give up some freedoms. In WWII people were not allowed to travel freely. All sorts of things were rationed. The sale of everything from food to teaspoons was controlled by government. It was illegal to make domestic products for civilian sale without goverment supervision and control Gasoline was limited to 5 galons a week. One needed governemt approval to travel. Travel after dark was severely limited. The rights to strike or even quit some jobs was suspeneded.
After the war was won, we got all the freedoms back. The tinfoil hat idiots see themselves as pawns of Government. They firmly believe that they survive at the whim of government. They see themselves as the subjects of a powerful state. Those of us who do not fear, see ourselves for what we are. Powerful people who can easily control govenemnt if we wish to do so.
The "I fear the government spys people" believe themselves to be the helpless slaves of an all powerful government. To them once government gets a power it can never be taken back.
Helpless powerless weaklings fear government. Strog willed powerful people know that hey can always control government.
A persons views on the issue reveails how they see themselves ... as strong or week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.