US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies

smh ^ | 7/15/2002 | Ritt Goldstein

[Clara Lou]

ny organized informant program is pretty much useless until the government has the political will to secure our borders and deport those who [?] illegally.
This statement I can agree with. It's the knee-jerk reactions that irritate.

[monday]

"Neighborhood Watch meets the Committee For the Defense of the Revolution."

/Also known as 'Bolovarian Circles' in Venezuela. Soon everyone will have their own little gestapo informant to check in with.

[Jhoffa_]

In a few years you will hear people saying: "But, if only the Fuhrer knew.. "

[concerned about politics]

Are you posting from the future or something?

sorry. Our dog was hit by a car. My mind is sad today.

[monday]

"I'm sure Israeli citizens never report suspicious behavior. /utter disgust"

Bet they don't have to register with the government in order to do it.. /utter disgust

[hellinahandcart]

My mind is sad today

Well, mine is too now. Sorry about your dog.

[ellery]

(unless it's one like Harry S Truman). Smile.

[ellery]

I'm so sorry, too.

[TLBSHOW]

Sorry to hear about your dog.

[Lessismore]

All security starts with physical security -- establishing physical boundaries and carefully monitoring everything that enters, that leaves and that is inside. The security forces for each neighborhood should know precisely who is coming and going at all times, and the papers of all persons staying overnight should be checked periodically, preferably between 2 and 4 am.

[Clara Lou]

Bet they don't have to register with the government in order to do it.. /utter disgust
Neither do Americans. It's just if you want to oficially belong to TIPS that you have to register. Don't be too disgusted.

[TLBSHOW]

DO THEY HAVE A STORE LIKE JW! lol

[Clara Lou]

Hey, yeah!!! A badge and a blinking watch-- way cool!

[Draco]

Betty Jo, Drudge's "source" is the anti-US publication I mentioned in my response. You trust this as "original source" material?

[Dat]

This is shocking. There should be no way what so ever to report any possible crimes. 911 should be changed to 912 so no one can inform on murderers or others the government deems 'undesirable' or 'terrorist'. God forbid anybody do anything sensible, what the hell would the 1%er's have to complain about then?

[Draco]

TLBSHOW
Drudge's source is the anti-US publication. This is not "original source" material. It's like asking Arafat for an neutral view on Mid-East peace prospects. Am I missing the joke here?

[APBaer]

"Am I missing the joke here?"

No telling what your missing.

The ultimate source is the US Government's website.
If you feel that *THAT* is anti-government, you'd better turn the US Government in to the US Government.

[Orion78]

"Behind Winston's back the voice from the telescreen was still babbling away about pig iron and the overfulfillment of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whipser, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceibvable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live - did live, from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized."

[monday]

"Sometimes snitches and busybodies have their place. "

What you are doing is a closer analogy to the border patrol, protecting your neighborhood from criminals. From crime so to speak. The chances of abusing this system are small. If you call the police on your neighbor because you suspect he is dealing drugs but the police find no drugs you lose your credibility.

However if you call the police because you suspect he is going to commit a terrorist act, how will the police know your motives. He might be an actual terrorist or it might be that he doesn't mow his yard often enough for your liking?

This is called guilt by accusation. Since he did not commit a crime but is only suspected he has no way of defending himself. How does one prove a negative?

Now imagine that your neighbor has called the FBI on you instead of the other way around. How would you feel being treated as a terrorist, having to take lie detector tests etc.

Remember, due to the PC police, anyone can be a terrorist, not just muslim men. You would be interrogated just as thoroughly as they.

The potential for abuse of this system is very large, while the benifits are small. Instead of having 300 million on the lookout for terrorists, the number is cut to 4% of that.

The danger is that if an registared informant reports suspicious behavior the authorities will tend to believe whatever the allegations are, as opposed to an ordinary citizen who hasn't been vetted by the government. The potential for abuse is great.

[rdavis84]

Gonna git me a warm coat outta the deal. :-)