MemeStreams | MemeStreams Discussion

Create an Account

This page contains all of the posts and discussion on MemeStreams referencing the following web page: US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies. You can find discussions on MemeStreams as you surf the web, even if you aren't a MemeStreams member, using the Threads Bookmarklet.

US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies
by Rattle at 6:34 pm EDT, Jul 14, 2002

The Bush Administration aims to recruit millions of United States citizens as domestic informants in a program likely to alarm civil liberties groups.
The Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or TIPS, means the US will have a higher percentage of citizen informants than the former East Germany through the infamous Stasi secret police. The program would use a minimum of 4 per cent of Americans to report "suspicious activity".
Civil liberties groups have already warned that, with the passage earlier this year of the Patriot Act, there is potential for abusive, large-scale investigations of US citizens.

As with the Patriot Act, TIPS is being pursued as part of the so-called war against terrorism. It is a Department of Justice project.

This my friends, is the line you do not cross..

US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies - smh.com.au
by Decius at 1:31 pm EDT, Jul 15, 2002

The Bush Administration aims to recruit millions of United States citizens as domestic informants in a program likely to alarm civil liberties groups.

The Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or TIPS, means the US will have a higher percentage of citizen informants than the former East Germany through the infamous Stasi secret police. The program would use a minimum of 4 per cent of Americans to report "suspicious activity".

Read the background of the author at the bottom... The thing is that this really isn't new. In the 80's American school children were told to inform the police if they discovered that their parents were using drugs. This sort of program becomes a problem when the people at large decide that they trust the government more then their neighbors. How far are we from that?