Day: July 15, 2002

Categories
Political Weblogging

The CC wants you

I got to thinking about the Citizen Corps and TIPS and realized that there was something missing – there wasn’t anyone to watch the webloggers.

The truck drivers watch the freeways, the train conductors are watching the rails, the utility workers are watching the electric meters, and the postal service is watching practically everyone else while misdelivering mail, but there’s this huge gap of uncovered and potentially dangerous territory – the weblogs.

And there are so many in the weblogging world that would be so good at this type of patriotic duty. After all, they’re the ones who have already rooted out the terrorist sympathizers and the anti-Semitics and other traitors among the weblogs. Now they can do what comes naturally under official sanction.

Since the government is only providing stickers for cars, I figure the only thing missing is to provide a sticker for the weblogs of the “patriotic Americans”. Well, delay no longer – your weblog sticker is here! Feel free to copy it and display it proudly on your weblog.

And be sure to link the graphic to the CC weblog division – RATS.

ccweb.gif

Send a message to Dubya that you’re behind him, all the way.

(After all, someone has to clean up the shit.)

Categories
Political

Little brother is watching you

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I don’t know what the fuss is about with this Operation TIPS. Personally, I think it’s a great idea myself.

Think about it – all those unamerican people grouped into one organization, easily tracked, as well as highly visible with little stickers in their window. It’s never been easier to spot and know the enemy.

Great idea. The Bush administration should come up with more like that.

Categories
Legal, Laws, and Regs

More on TIPS

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

The Washington Post has an article on TIPS that cuts through the hyperbole to the heart of the issue, and the ultimate cause for concern:

Public vigilance is a good thing, and so is encouraging citizens to alert authorities to terrorist activity. It makes sense to educate people who work at potential targets or at places where lethal cargo may be smuggled. But having the government recruit informants among letter carriers and utility workers — people who enter the homes of Americans for reasons unrelated to law enforcement — is an entirely different matter. Americans should not be subjecting themselves to law enforcement scrutiny merely by having cable lines installed, mail delivered or meters read. Police cannot routinely enter people’s houses without either permission or a warrant. They should not be using utility workers to conduct surveillance they could not lawfully conduct themselves.

Short, but extremely well written article.

Brought to us through the kind offices of a new and improved MetaFilter