A police state in the making

Washington Times ^ | Monday, June 17, 2002 | House Editorial

[JohnHuang2]

Every individual who lives in or visits the nation's capital is now an enemy of the state. Or so it seems. How else to explain the vast network of closed-circuit cameras that are popping up all over town? If you think this is hyperbolic rhetoric

[Byron_the_Aussie]

...they obviously don't understand the magnitude of the event, and the extreme danger we are in...

What 'extreme danger'?

[DBtoo]

They need to do something about the mall area.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I went to Washington to visit some relatives. I lived outside DC as a child, and our familiy used to regularly go to the Smithsonian and art gallery which I really enjoyed. I have wonderful memories of that. On this last trip however, things had changed drastically. They had crack addicts/beggers all over the place acosting the tourists. My husband and his uncle went to the space museum, while I walked over to another building. I was attacked by a woman who was a strung-out addict demanding money. When I only gave her $2, she threw it back at me and told me, "I hope you and all your family die, bitch!" She kept screaming at me as I walked away. I don't know what the park police do, as there appeared to be none around. Anyway, I think that will be my last visit to DC. It's sort of symbolic of what's happened to our country in general. Welcome to the new America.

[sneakypete]

Pehaps this might have something to do with the fact that on September 11th 2001 Muslim terrorists hijacked aircraft full of people and flew them into buildings in NY and DC?

And just exactly HOW are spy cameras mounted on streetcorners and similiar areas going to prevent this from happening again?

[southern rock]

No one has a right to privacy in public. It's that simple.

Not the issue. The issue is, what authority does the government have to watch citizens 24/7?

[Lazamataz]

If anyone criticizes anything the government does, they are a traitor who is probably an Al Qaeda operative. </sarcasm>

[Eagle Eye]

You have no valid expectation of privacy outside of your own home.

Don't you find having your movements in pubic watched and recorded by "The Authorities" repugnant?

How do you reconcile liberty and freedom with tracking and recording a citizen's movements?

[Lazamataz]

You have no valid expectation of privacy outside of your own home.

So to you, the scenario of universal camera coverage laid out in George Orwell's 1984 is a desirable state.

[southern rock]

I am having a problem understanding the mentality of people in this nation. They obviously don't understand the magnitude of the event, and the extreme danger we are in.

I am having a problem understanding the mentality of people who don't understand that "safety", and "security" have to take a back seat to liberty, and freedom, for this nation to function as designed.

[southern rock]

You have no valid expectation of privacy outside of your own home.

Maybe not from the eyes of my neighbors, but from government spy cameras, I do.

[NMC EXP]

And just exactly HOW are spy cameras mounted on streetcorners and similiar areas going to prevent this from happening again?

They will not. After the next attack the statists will say that they tried surveillance in public areas and it was not enough. Therefore, for the common good they must put cameras and microphones in private areas. Obviously that is where the plotting and planning occurs.

Regards

J.R.

[Zon]

Guess it's time to call on Congress to really and truly find out what's going on.

You mean sort of like how congress really found out about Clinton's crimes during his impeachment. Or about how congress created and empowered a slew of alphabet bureaucracies. Ah, the blind leading the blind. Not totally blind, but blind in one eye so as to lose perspective.

[meyer]

So to you, the scenario of universal camera coverage laid out in George Orwell's 1984 is a desirable state.

Some might call it a target-rich environment. :)

[Badray]

"Our government is bugging the telephones, computers and all the rooms of the house, yet they are leaving the doors and windows wide open."

I nominate this for the quote of the day.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Actually, no one has a right to privacy in private either.

[rdb3]

No. That conversation is taking place within private property. Step outside the car and it's a different story.

[tacticalogic]

...and John Q. Public gets to pay for all of it.

And John Q. Public should have access to all the video, and the cameras should be placed so as to record the comings and goings of public officials, bureaucrats and lobbyists. Sauce for the gander.

[Constitutional Patriot]

"And just exactly HOW are spy cameras mounted on streetcorners and similiar areas going to prevent this from happening again?"

The same way that registereing law abiding gun owners will reduce crime!!

[mc5cents]

Making ??? It's just a rerun......."UNCLE SAM" (aka Homeland Security) stands for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement..........

I think our UNCLE has morphed into SPECTRE, Special Executive for Counter Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.

Calling 007.

[Don Myers]

bttt

[Squantos]

That's Bonds nemisis.......Napoleon Solo was kept busy by THRUSH which stands for Technical Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesireables and the Subjugation of Humanity which IMHO is closer to our new Homeland Security in defination......

Stay Safe !