Dear Sir,
Thankyou for your invitation for comment as I do not envy you your duty.
TIPS primary failing is that it seeks to protect us from an external
threat through internal scrutiny. That's like building a hospital at the
base of the cliff instead of a guard rail on the cliff side itself. ( Or in
this case looking in my window instead of doing something that might
actually protect this country. )
I think that over the years the ACLU's scope of action has so narrowed
as to justify criticisms they are advancing an agenda. Certainly the
Washington Post and CNN have displayed identifiable, though self-denied,
bias in what, and how, they report 'news'. In spite of that anticipated
slant my first reaction to a review of the 6 links below was an astonished
and sarcastic "I love Big Brother".
It's worth noting that those with a self proclaimed bias to the right
share the reservations about TIPS.
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-levy071802.asp
And the more clearly identified left is going crazy.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/19/MN208677.DTL
Overseas is mirroring the 'stasi' criticism.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/story/0,1870,132219,00.html?
Why this broad spectrum of criticism from so many with such different
views? I think it's because TIPS parallel's the government's dishonest and
ineffective approach to Air safety. "Cavity search 'em all so we don't
offend some" has now been expanded to "Spy on 'em all so we don't offend
some". When the FBI uses intuition, psychic ability and the 'power of the
force' to profile a suspect in a child abduction case why do we ignore the
clearly identifiable attributes of the 'profile' of the state supported
terrorists that have declared war upon this country's citizenry? Though
these terrorists are a minority of the people of those countries those
societies are medieval in their intolerance and therefore bring scrutiny
upon themselves as the terrorist's activities enjoy government and media
support within those countries. Thorough VISA checks and follow up are
hardly 'internment camps' are they?
The threat is external so I would appreciate it if the government would
quit passing laws and instituting programs that in the years to come will be
reviled, and overturned, for their obvious constitutional shortcomings. Our
civil liberties should not be at issue as the threat is external and every
attempt to limit our civil liberties is therefore unconscionable.
I would like to volunteer to help compile the blizzard of information
regarding threats to our country I just can't because I don't think the
people of this country are the threat... and apparently neither does anybody
else.
Oh and by the way... God bless the US Coast Guard and all those who toil
that we may indulge ourselves in our freedoms.
Dane
-----Original Message-----
From: Goerling, Richard J. LT (TAD to CGIC Portland)
[mailto:RIGoerling@private]
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 5:13 PM
To: crime@private
Subject: RE: CRIME Re: TIPS
Thanks to Todd for the good links re: OP TIPS. I'm very interested in CRIME
members perspective. This program was handed to the Coast Guard's National
Response Center by US DOJ to field the phone calls from the public. I'll
have to reserve my comments for now, but please take a look at the program
and let me know what you think.
Rich Goerling
US Coast Guard Portland, OR
-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Ellner [mailto:tellner@private]
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 2:17 PM
To: crime@private
Subject: CRIME Re: TIPS
Someone asked about operation TIPS. Below are a couple of relevant links:
http://www.aclu.org/news/2002/n071802b.html
http://www.aclu.org/news/2002/n071602a.html
http://www.citizencorps.gov/tips.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63924-2002Jul12.html
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/17/usps.operation.tip/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/07/17/operation.tips.ap/index.html
Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I hear an old, scratchy, Stalin-era
record playing "Comrades! Root out treason and imperialist subversion!
Complete the Five Year Plan in three years!"
.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jul 19 2002 - 10:11:55 PDT