Stefan Jones  07-17-2002
01:05 PM ET (US)
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"Personally, I'm suspicious of SUV drivers."
I know what you mean: One person, driving a giant vehicle that could hold eight people comfortably, going to malls and places of high-tech employment. Very fishy. Who knows what kind of damage one of those things could do if the passenger seats were taken out and it were packed with C-4?
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Zed Lopez 07-17-2002
12:35 AM ET (US)
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Gee, I suppose it'd be treason at this point to suggest that we all show our support for the program by making sure every one of us call the number every day to report suspicious behavior.
Personally, I'm suspicious of SUV drivers.
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FK
07-16-2002
12:45 PM ET (US)
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Surely this is a joke? 1984? Goldstein? "The Spys"?
Eric Blair must be spinning in his grave...
(For this who haven't read this timely book, in "1984", children are recruited as spys and encouraged to spy on their parents and neighbours, as a part of a much wider spying infrustructure. It gets more real every day!)
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Craniac 07-16-2002
10:25 AM ET (US)
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I, for one, am looking forward to the opportunity to exercise my patriotism, ingratiate myself with the new regime, and settle a few old grudges I have with some decidedly unpatriotic ex-friends. Wheeeee!
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IBLIS The Ultraviolet
07-15-2002
09:40 PM ET (US)
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All I can say is, I wish it every bit as much success as the DARE program had...
enemy combatant #92391 }()+
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jleader 07-15-2002
06:32 PM ET (US)
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Well, I'm a 'Murican, csaila, and I got _2_ alerts.
The first was because FEMA more or less issued their own certificate vouching for their identity (which kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?). This is the alert in your screen shot.
After I clicked "OK, I trust FEMA to issue their own certificate...", I got a second alert because "FEMA" != "citizencorps.gov", so Mozilla warned me that the citizencorps.gov site was trying to use a certificate issued to someone else.
_These_ are the people who are going to make our country and its infrastructure more secure? I wonder if I could board a plane by using a home-made ID with my wife's name and picture on it?
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csaila
07-15-2002
05:49 PM ET (US)
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Ironically, when following the volunteer link at the Operation TIPS site I got an alert claiming there is a problem with the site's security certificate. (See a screenshot.) Then again, maybe it's because I'm Canadian...
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Stefan Jones 07-15-2002
05:47 PM ET (US)
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"My impression, after reading more about Goldstein, is that he could spin an elaborate conspiracy around the concept of a CrimeStoppers program."
Oh, heck, I could do that:
MaGruff, the Crime Dog, is obviously a character designed to familiarize children with the concept of genetically engineered canine law enforcement creatures, the genuine article of which will be introduced in Year Nine of the Bush administration to fight the "War on SmellCrime."
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Stefan Jones 07-15-2002
05:42 PM ET (US)
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I HAVE a Red Ryder BB gun. All I need is the decoder ring and I'm all set!
Maybe I should ask for a remote pepper sprayer as well.
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Eric Scoles 07-15-2002
05:02 PM ET (US)
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True, this particular post is a tempest in a teapot (and if I were more paranoid, I'd even think Ritt might be an agent provocateur). But consider this in the light of Justice Scalia's recent argument (fortunately not in court) that God wants us all to give first allegiance to the Government; then take a quick look at Matthew 10:34-42 ("....He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me...") to see what else He might want, and it starts to make an uncomfortable amount of sense in a really uncomfortable way...
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mrm 07-15-2002
04:33 PM ET (US)
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Any kind of informant program is somewhat problematic. People with an axe to grind. Conservative nutcases who think criticism of the administration equals suspcious activity. Conspiracists.
My visit with German relatives who brought out photo albums and told stories about Germany circa 1930-1950 keeps coming back to haunt me this year. They were certain the US would end up a totalitarian state by the end of Bush's four years.
With Ashcroft as homeland security chief (why not "fatherland security chief"?) things can only get worse. How we ended up with a guy in this post who lost an election to a dead man is a mystery.
Maybe he'll arm us all with Red Ryder double action BB guns and broadcast secret docoder rings messages during little radio morality plays.
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MrBaliHai
07-15-2002
04:24 PM ET (US)
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I'll only sign up if I get an Ashcroft Secret Decoder Ring.
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rcade
07-15-2002
04:18 PM ET (US)
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Do a Google on Ritt Goldstein, the author of the piece, who is basing the entire article on his reading of the Web site. He accused Danbury, Ct., police of repeatedly pepper spraying him by secret remote means, left the U.S. and sought asylum in Sweden, and was turned down.
My impression, after reading more about Goldstein, is that he could spin an elaborate conspiracy around the concept of a CrimeStoppers program.
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Stefan Jones 07-15-2002
04:04 PM ET (US)
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I was going to Suggest this, but then I read the actual web site.
The author of the original article is reading a lot into the announcement. Handing out stickers and making a tip line available isn't the same as having a corps of "informers."
Of course, this doesn't mean we should not have great sport with the issue. Such as by making *alternative* stickers that suggest ratting out people with TIPS stickers.
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