July 14, 2002
1:22 PM   Subscribe

 
Eventually, Terry Gilliam will be hailed a prophet for creating Brazil. Then he will be promptly thrown in jail.
posted by insomnyuk at 1:25 PM on July 14, 2002


Can we please elect these bozos out of office toute de suite?
posted by donkeyschlong at 1:28 PM on July 14, 2002


The irony of the "Citizen Corps" website having a privacy policy is almost unbearable.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:30 PM on July 14, 2002


The author of this article, Ritt Goldstein, claims Danbury, Connecticut police frequently pepper sprayed his house, car, and person using a remote system that suggested it was "the work of highly trained professionals." He then fled the U.S. and sought asylum in Sweden, which was not granted.

Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing that this story, sourced only to Goldstein's reading of a Web site, might have a few factual issues and the U.S. might not be turning one out of four people into regularly paid informants. At least not until they wrap up the contrails program.
posted by rcade at 1:41 PM on July 14, 2002


Do I get 50 extra credits a week like those folks in the Nightwatch do?
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:33 PM on July 15, 2002


Here's a less alarmist Washington Post editorial on TIPS: What Is Operation TIPS?
posted by homunculus at 3:57 PM on July 15, 2002


Thanks for the links, homonculus and rcade. That kind of on-the-fly research is what makes this site great.
posted by cell divide at 4:04 PM on July 15, 2002


Now we're supposed to spy on each other. Like we don't have enough paranoid nutjobs roaming around armed to the gills, now they're going to be taking shots at the mail carrier and that nice kid who delivers for FedEx. Forget the civil liberties issues and think about the social effects of not knowing who is watching what your doing and who they are going to tell. Can the federal government be trusted to make the distinction between a meth lab, a terrorist cell and a couple of kids getting high?

It begs the question, "Who's watching the watchers?"
posted by cedar at 6:41 PM on July 15, 2002


Appreciations for the Washington Post link in particular. I was wondering if any US-based news sources was going to cover this. Excellent article. Scary group.
posted by shelleyp at 6:42 PM on July 15, 2002


New server; same ensemble of leftist-sensationist-Henny Pennies. Thanks for debasing and trivializing totalitarianism.
posted by ParisParamus at 6:49 PM on July 15, 2002


What does this do to political debate? There is no debate. Piss someone off by absolutely demolishing their selfish, jingoist politics and it's bankruptcy and jail for the dissenter. Curiouser and curiouser the world gets. When do the good guys arrive and actually put a stop to this?

This trip to the gulag has been brought to you by ParisParamus. Thanks for debasing and trivializing the civic concern that was quashed before anything could be done about historical totalitarian regimes.
posted by crasspastor at 6:54 PM on July 15, 2002


oh oh
the collapse of the roman empire
all the symptoms are there
posted by dodialog at 6:57 PM on July 15, 2002


ONLY problem with your contention Crass: other than having taken minor, reasonable measures to combat lunatic Islamic wackos, nothing has changed in the last year. Except in your paranoid imagination.
posted by ParisParamus at 7:02 PM on July 15, 2002


I think a better comparison would be to the collapse of the Roman republic and subsequent rise of the empire.

Bush's gutting of civil liberties and the Bill of Rights is the equivalent of bringing the legions into Rome.
posted by cedar at 7:09 PM on July 15, 2002


Yeah, they're gutted. I hope they stay this gutted. What drivel!
posted by ParisParamus at 7:10 PM on July 15, 2002


Childish overstatement on both sides. Metafilter surely is back.
posted by dhartung at 7:17 PM on July 15, 2002


Not that I want the US to become European, but keep in mind how many fewer rights in the realm of free speech, assembly, search and seizure, etc., the British and French enjoy. Defamation is a on hair trigger setting in France; the British press has to really watch it.
posted by ParisParamus at 7:28 PM on July 15, 2002


Possibly overstatement, but the general tone of legislation since the passing of the Patriot Act certainly doesn't encourage dissent. The general tone seems to be one of, "If your not with *us*, then your the enemy."

Starting with the expansion of wiretaps and the newfound authority to search premises without having to notify the 'suspect' or even show probable cause, and the Justice Departments lack of willingness to allow full discovery in any case involving a *possible* (as defined by them) terrorist connection it seems clear that we no longer enjoy the same freedoms that we once did.

The fact that the government intends to recruit volunteers to watch and report on other citizens is most certianly disturbing and not very far from McCarthyism and vigilantism.

When/if the pendulum swings back and we return to our collective senses we're going to find ourselves in a bankrupt nation, with far fewer liberties, a brandy new Department of Homeland Security and a bunch of 'patriotic' wannabe cops peering in our windows.
posted by cedar at 7:30 PM on July 15, 2002


Not that I want the US to become European, but keep in mind how many fewer rights in the realm of free speech, assembly, search and seizure, etc., the British and French enjoy. Defamation is a on hair trigger setting in France; the British press has to really watch it.

Straw man.

Think of how little freedom the mainland Chinese have compared to the British and French. That isn't really the point considering the discussion at hand concerns United States policy.
posted by cedar at 7:35 PM on July 15, 2002


Cedar: if a silly poster is going to claim the US is becoming East Germany, it makes sense to disprove the claim by pointing to other democratic nations which have less civil rights, and yet aren't East Germany.
posted by ParisParamus at 7:46 PM on July 15, 2002


Well, doubters, here's the link to the official government site...where you too can sign up to be a snitch.

And poo-poo this info if you will, but I think it's damn spooky. It's so Wellsian 1984...I'm expecting the 2 Minutes Hate to be implemented any moment now. You will not question the Leader! You love Big Brother! War is Peace! Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength!
posted by dejah420 at 8:27 PM on July 15, 2002


TIPS is weird. What also worries me, though, is that stuff like this will turn people off to CitizenCorps, which despite the Orwellian name is a step in the right direction towards what Americorps was supposed to be in the first place.
posted by oddovid at 8:42 PM on July 15, 2002


Childish overstatement on both sides. Metafilter surely is back.

To be technically accurate, it wasn't MetaFilter until someone showed up to do nothing but rag on everyone else as a cheap assertion of superiority. Thanks!
posted by rcade at 9:19 PM on July 15, 2002


Childish overstatement on both sides. Metafilter surely is back.

Paris started it!

Haha.
posted by donkeyschlong at 9:19 PM on July 15, 2002


To be technically accurate, it wasn't MetaFilter until someone showed up to do nothing but rag on everyone else as a cheap assertion of superiority. Thanks!

Or, it wasn't MetaFilter until this cheap assertion of superiority was pointed out by another cheap assertion as a show of intelligence. Thanks!

I say we make this thread into another MeFi parody. Who's with me?
posted by BlueTrain at 9:38 PM on July 15, 2002


I'm writing all your names down. Block commander Fleischer will be so proud!
posted by owillis at 9:44 PM on July 15, 2002


cedar, thanks for stating what we all should see as the obvious state of decline that our country is going through. Unfortunate that so many wrap themselves in the guise of "proud because I know I'm free" as they ignore the erosion of the rights promised by our heritage.
posted by acridrabbit at 9:50 PM on July 15, 2002


Bah. There's nothing to this silly rat-fink system.

Just put the idea into some high-school kid's heads that they could pull *the* biggest prank of all time if they were to each call in five reports a day, until everyone in the town was reported.

The idea would spread like wildfire. Soon, the entire population of the USA would be reported. System would completely break down at that point. :)
posted by five fresh fish at 10:18 PM on July 15, 2002


If I sign up as a spy, do I get cool spy gadgets and a license to kill?

You guys across The Pond have all the fun.
posted by adampsyche at 4:41 AM on July 16, 2002


I'd like to report John Ashcroft as an enemy of the US please. Now, where's my reward? I have to report at least two? Ok then, I'd like to report Dick Cheney as an enemy of the US please. And that Contract on America thing in 1994/5, I'd like to report that as the major reason for allowing the corruption of our fine and upstanding rich capitalist CEOs too.
posted by nofundy at 5:21 AM on July 16, 2002


Bah. There's nothing to this silly rat-fink system
is that the Cagney version?

"The idea would spread like wildfire. Soon, the entire population of the USA would be reported. System would completely break down at that point. :)"
everyone already has a file, and i mean everyone. If you ask, they may let you see it.
posted by clavdivs at 8:38 AM on July 16, 2002


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