US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies

[dudeness]

By Ritt Goldstein
July 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".

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.

Highlighting the scope of the surveillance network, TIPS volunteers are being recruited primarily from among those whose work provides access to homes, businesses or transport systems. Letter carriers, utility employees, truck drivers and train conductors are among those named as targeted recruits.



A pilot program, described on the government Web site www.citizencorps.gov, is scheduled to start next month in 10 cities, with 1 million informants participating in the first stage. Assuming the program is initiated in the 10 largest US cities, that will be 1 million informants for a total population of almost 24 million, or one in 24 people.

Historically, informant systems have been the tools of non-democratic states. According to a 1992 report by Harvard University's Project on Justice, the accuracy of informant reports is problematic, with some informants having embellished the truth, and others suspected of having fabricated their reports.

Present Justice Department procedures mean that informant reports will enter databases for future reference and/or action. The information will then be broadly available within the department, related agencies and local police forces. The targeted individual will remain unaware of the existence of the report and of its contents...snip

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/14/1026185141232.html

[Malva Zebrina]

1. well maybe to keep up with it all some of us should sign up

for it?

[rfranklin]

2. Citizen, your participation,,,,

in this site has indicated to us that you are unsuitable and are due for reprogramming!

[TolstoyAndy]

3. They supposedly dropped this program

Of course I say "supposedly".

In a penthouse somewhere in NYC or DC there are some scumbags making money off the terrorism futures market too. Just the way did from 9/11, shortselling airline stock, only this is more hush-hush now.

I figure if they announce these things they are doing them already,
and when they announce they are withdrawn,
it just means they're back in secret.

Welcome to the New Freedom!

:tinfoilhat:

[mike_c]

5. or simply flood their server informing on ourselves....

On January 2001 I cursed and screamed when Bush* was sworn in. I have called him a trained monkey on several occasions. I think Dick Cheney is evil, and needs a blood meal at least once a month to stay alive-- I once asserted that he's sleeping in an undisclosed coffin. I've been a BAD BOY....

[DuctapeFatwa]

4. I think this will be a very popular program

I will go so far as to predict that they will have to revise their plan to closer to 1 in 5 or 6, although I would consider the pool not all citizens, but the voting class - the top 25% income tier.

This demographic has developed a strong enthusiasm for restrictions, authoritarianism, and the culture of denouncing other people to any perceived authority in hopes of seeing the victim receive "punishment."

It is a good time for those who do not share the fascination with this to review and upgrade personal security procedures, such as limiting conversations in the workplace, with acquaintances, even, I am sorry to say, friends and family except in rare cases, to flowers and dogs.

Meet food deliverymen outside the home, and schedule visits by repairmen, technicians, etc. well in advance to give you time to prepare by removing pictures, photos of family members, books, objects d'art, newspapers, magazines, any printed matter, etc. from view.

Talk to children about the importance of keeping conversation about family habits, customs, heritage, faith tradition, politics, etc within the immediate family.

Try to limit discussion of world events, etc. with spouses and other close family members to times when children are asleep or away from the home.

Make an emergency plan of what to do and where to meet in the event that a family member is seized. Develop a family password. Make sure that arrangements are made for the care of young children, ill, or elderly people who may not be able to participate in the plan.

[JaySherman]

7. This makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.

A few years ago your words would have been paranoid crazy talk to me. Now, it's sound advice. I long ago started limiting my conversations with people outside of my immediate friends and family to avoid anything remotely political.

[DuctapeFatwa]

8. I am sorry that it is necessary. Many people started after 9-11

doing these things and more, particularly people whose heritage, appearance, faith tradition, or any combination thereof might put them at greater risk of harm from the regime.

[salin]

6. Date - July 2002.... OLD STORY

This is an old story. The program and story disappeared pretty quickly after Ashcroft looked so happy about it.

[RainDog]

10. TIA was dropped, and begun as something else

that's what I remember.

Wasn't the TIPS program part of that?

Poindexter had to resign, and like all other fascist tactics of the Bush regime, they have simply shifted these things and given them new names.

other examples are the "patriot act 2" --or whatever it was actually called. this has been dismembered and tacted on to other bills, including the big omnibus bill at the end of the year that I believe has yet to be finalized?

Rummy said he was going to start a huge disinformation campaign, then disavowed it. however, since Reagan's "project truth," such disinformation has been part of America's reporting profession...it was successful at the time in labeling people who reported on Iran/Contra and CIA drug smuggling as "conspiracy theorists" --same thing about The October Surprise--both of these have now been found to be true and substantiated by various inside sources in the U.S. and numerous sources outside of the US but inside the world of foreign policy. (and countries in Central America have released documents since that also show that people like the reporter at the San Jose Mercury news were right about Reagan's "just say no" presidency importing cocaine into the US.

So, who knows who they're recruiting to do what?

I have no doubt that they have people within the media, both print and tv, who are involved in propaganda.

I know there have been libraries who have been asked for information.

[indepat]

9. Who will snoop on the local snoops?

[RainDog]

11. Salon article on it here

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/01/29/tia_privacy/index_np.html

--from last January.

[Vitruvius]

12. Bu$h is copycatting the East German secret police -- the Stasi.

Which enrolled about 5% of the population as spies; 1-in-20, rather than Bu$h's 1-in-24.

So the Rethugs don't just copycat the Nazis; they copycat the East German communists as well... Nice.