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It s like they aren t even trying to pretend anymore
http://reason.com ^
| July 16, 2002
| By Brian Doherty
Posted on 07/17/2002 3:20:21 PM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK
Its like they arent even trying to pretend anymore.
Sure, even since the launching of the War on Terrorism, lip service has been paid to American traditions of civil liberties and freedom. Of course, sometimes that lip service to freedom is spookily Orwellian, such as dubbing President Bushs plan to have every American devote two years of their lives in service to the state the Freedom Corps. (Even more disturbingly, this scheme encourages people to create a record of service documenting what theyve done for the state in a private journal maintained on the governments Freedom Corps Web site.)
Making news this week is the latest wrinkle in George Bushs Citizen Corps -- a program known as the Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or Operation TIPS. (Our allegedly civilian homeland is becoming lousy with new corps these days.) The East Germans had a more stylish and nakedly sinister name for the same idea: the formerly feared, and apparently now fondly missed, Stasi.
TIPS in essence deputizes 1 million Americans in 10 cities as government informants. (Thats just the beginning for its August debut -- the program will be expanded next year.) The announcement names American truckers, letter carriers, train conductors, ship captains, utility employees, and others as potential members of this proud army of snoops and busybodies. A Washington Times story on the program points out that a common denominator for at least a couple of those categories is that their jobs allow them access to private homes.
These TIPS soldiers have been given the mission to go where the police cant necessarily go, see what the police cant necessarily see, and then report findings to the Justice Department, which will maintain a database of tips. It remains to be seen whether this will save the country from attack, or simply bury bureaucrats in thousands of vague, frightened, meaningless reports that sully the reputations of the innocent. But we have already seen the effects of creating a system of omnipresent government informants who treat all fellow citizens as potential enemies. It used to be called living behind the Iron Curtain.
Many Americans seem to have forgotten the days (less than a decade ago) when you didnt need to show a government-issued identification to travel by air. It seems likely that with more programs like Operation TIPS in effect, the very spirit of a free people that should be viscerally disgusted by such programs will be reduced to a half-remembered ghost. The banner in the eagles mouth on the back of the Great Seal of the United States might as well change from reading E Pluribus Unum to The innocent have nothing to fear.

Brian Doherty is an associate editor of Reason.
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
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To: ATOMIC_PUNK
American truckers, letter carriers, train conductors, ship captains, utility employees, and others
An intersesting collection:
The letter carriers can't find the right mail box, but want more postage as additional incentive.
The train conductors can't drive an Amtrak train without driving it off the rails.
Captain Hazlewood, might be a good observer, but wait, he was so besotted that he couldn't seee a clearly marked reef...
Well, maybe "the others" will make better spies; I hear that Maxwell Smart might be available, call him on his shoe phone?
2
posted on
07/17/2002 3:31:02 PM PDT
by
APBaer
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
Why didn't you know that this is just a lil oh "compassionate conservative" program we have here for the welfare of all God's sweet little chicken hearted sheeple? Because it's a brainchild of Dubya, and not the Slickmiester, it's got to be good. ;)
3
posted on
07/17/2002 3:31:41 PM PDT
by
GaConfed
To: GaConfed
What you dont think clinton the clown would have done this i think we would be under lockdown since 911 if it was gore or clinton and i mean AMERICAN CITIZENS not ileagles or anyone else [jmho] i dont trust any of them anymore
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
Some of us see a difference between the STASI and citizens in key areas trained to look for potential terrorists.
I suppose that in order to be free, a rental car agent should ignore it if a bunch of Arab men come with shoddy IDs to rent a large truck and ask for directions to a military installation of landmark.
I forgot which justice said it, but one said that he Consitution is not a suicide pact.
5
posted on
07/17/2002 3:40:03 PM PDT
by
rmlew
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
sometimes that lip service to freedom is spookily Orwellian, such as dubbing President Bushs plan to have every American devote two years of their lives in service to the state the Freedom Corps. (Even more disturbingly, this scheme encourages people to create a record of service documenting what theyve done for the state in a private journal maintained on the governments Freedom Corps Web site.) Ooooooh! Spooky! This paragraph is misleading. Saying the President plans " to have every American" serve gives the impression this is compulsory service. It isn't:
The USA Freedom Corps will promote a culture of responsibility, service, and citizenship. It will work with key service agencies in government and the nonprofit sector to provide incentives and new opportunities to serve at home and abroad. The USA Freedom Corps will draw on help from Americans of all ages and of every background. --From the Freedom Corps. website
It is a volunteer organization. You can argue that this is a waste of money, but there is nothing "Orwellian" about it(that tag is as overused as comparisons to Nazism, a cliche which immediately follows the Orwellian riff.) As for the "disturbing" record of service, it is optional, and the terms are contained the privacy terms for anyone to see. Articles like this only serve to lessen the credibility of the organization that publishes them. Reason.com just gave me a reason to discount their worthiness. They should be called trite.com.
6
posted on
07/17/2002 3:40:22 PM PDT
by
Huck
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
King George will take care of that pesky 4th Amendment, won't he? Search and seizure for everyone!
7
posted on
07/17/2002 3:41:29 PM PDT
by
alpowolf
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
klintoon could never have gotten away with these "laws". Won't be a peep out the crew in here if martial law is declared and elections are cancelled.
8
posted on
07/17/2002 3:42:06 PM PDT
by
steve50
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
This article plays right into the paranoid delusions of many Americans. Many Freepers have obviously been sucked in.
9
posted on
07/17/2002 3:45:27 PM PDT
by
SunStar
To: Huck
My mistake: It wasn't a Nazi reference, it was a Commie reference.
10
posted on
07/17/2002 3:47:48 PM PDT
by
Huck
To: rmlew
From the TIPS website:
Industries that are interested in participating in this program will be given printed guidance material, flyers and brochures, about the program and how to contact the Operation TIPS reporting center"Printed guidance material" is not the same thing as training. A group of a million people will contain a significant number of yahoos; all of whom will be telling tales about you to the feds.
Many people can't even distinguish an Arab from other ethnicities such as Indian.
11
posted on
07/17/2002 3:52:33 PM PDT
by
alpowolf
To: steve50
Indeed, I have seen some of that crowd calling for martial law, breathlessly repeating the mantra "WE'RE AT WAR!"
To quote from another Orwell favorite, "Comrade Napoleon is always right."
12
posted on
07/17/2002 3:56:13 PM PDT
by
alpowolf
To: Huck
Nazi = socialist in a pretty uniform, will kill you for the good of the state
Communist = socialist in a cheap suit, will kill you for the good of the state
Easy mistake. Say five preambles to the Constitution and go with God. You are forgiven.
To: steve50
WANNA BET
To: ATOMIC_PUNK
American truckers as stool pigeons? I don't think so.
To: alpowolf
Many "in here" have certainly said we're at war,but some have called for martial law?Could you dredge up proof of that,depending on your definition of "some"?
16
posted on
07/17/2002 4:07:16 PM PDT
by
John W
Comment #17 Removed by Moderator
To: John W
I'm not yet savvy enough to know an easy way to search all of the threads out there. I do remember one fellow a few months back telling me this on a thread, and he even said that I was "making a mutiny" by disagreeing with Bush (I believe it was a thread about the PATRIOT Act). (Of course his definition of "mutiny" doesn't jive with the Navy's but he didn't care.)
18
posted on
07/17/2002 4:15:09 PM PDT
by
alpowolf
To: Sgt. Fury
I'm afraid you ain't seen nothin yet. Our party has been highjacked by the neocons and they aren't going away.
19
posted on
07/17/2002 4:16:00 PM PDT
by
steve50
To: Sgt. Fury
"I can't think of a SINGLE thing that Bush has done that Clinton would not have done, or for that matter Al Gore if he had been elected."
Sarge,you need to think a little harder.
20
posted on
07/17/2002 4:22:58 PM PDT
by
John W
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