Posted on 11/21/2002 6:36:13 AM PST by Dick Bachert
Its making news again...and who knows? Maybe people are starting to listen. Im talking about the grand Pentagon plan to gather every bit of information available on every man, woman and tricycle motor living in America to store in some giant government computer.
I want you to hear the way Major Garrett on Fox News Channel described this Pentagon Total Information Awareness program last nights newscast. Ill quote Major Garrets story exactly and if doesnt send your pucker factor up a few notches, there is no help for you.
If the Pentagon has its way some day the government will know more about your spending and banking habits than almost anyone. It will create a vast computer database that will track what trips you take, it will know what books you buy, how much money you withdraw from your ATM, and what type of firearms you like to purchase. Then special software will analyze your spending habits to see if they match a terrorist profile."
The Pentagon agency that is developing this system is called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). They have a logo. Its that pyramid thing you see on the dollar bill...the one with the huge eye on top...and the eye is scanning a nearby globe of the Earth. The motto, in Latin, is translated to knowledge is power. Knowledge for whom? The government, thats who. And power over whom? Us. The people.
Somewhere Fox News dug up an attorney named David Rivkin. What kind of an attorney? They didnt say, but David Rivkin did have this to say about people who are worried about this Pentagon information grab:
I find it somewhat counterintuitive that people are not concerned that telemarketers and insurance companies can acquire this data, but feel tremendous trepidation if a government ventures into this arena. It just smacks of paranoia.
Hey, Counselor -- get a grip. Youre a hotshot attorney with the fancy resume pulling in the big bucks so dont act dumb. We covered this yesterday, but Ill hit it again. Telemarketers and insurance companies dont have that one asset that government has...they dont have the ability to use force -- deadly force -- to accomplish their marketing and business goals. The government does. Someone selling me a vacation plan over the telephone cant pull out a gun and force me to buy his wonderful package. The government can. An insurance company cant lock me up if I dont go along with their marketing desires. The government can. If you think real hard about this, David Rivkin, can you see what sort of a difference this might make?
Now listen to this. Its important: This is not about terrorism. The people working on this system will tell you that it is all about uncovering patterns of behavior that are indicative of terrorist activity. Im not buying it. If this is so, then would someone please come forward and tell me why the government was trying to implement this massive snooping structure long before the Islamic Jihadists attacked the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon? There was Clintons Know your Customer Program. You do remember that, dont you? And I know you remember that the IRS and other government agencies have been trying for years to get access to the computers that handle credit card and ATM transactions. The DARPA logo has it right. Knowledge IS power. The more information government has about its subjects, the easier it is for the government to keep its subjects in line. We have long been a transition from a government that serves the needs of its citizens to a government that rules. This Total Information Awareness program is merely a step in that direction.
How long are you going to remain silent? When do you start to get concerned?
If youre sitting there saying Hey, Im not worried because I dont have anything to hide, youre part of the problem.
It allows enforcement to use info gathered by other agencies (FBI can run with tips from CIA, etc..,) which was a stupid block by Dems anyway...
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.