http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/14/1026185141232.html
:eek:
Oh, sorry - here’s a snippet:
“Facism is a term thrown about too freely, and I don’t believe we’re at a point that its use is justified–but an oppressive and intrusive government, however you want to label it, does not ride into town wearing the uniforms and waving the flags of recognizable evil. It creeps in slowly, wrapped in the flag of your own country, and speaking the language of patriotism and duty, and at each step along the way, its actions seem plausible and defensible–until one morning you wake up and realize the gulf between the way things were and the way things are has grown so wide that there is no going back. Sinclair Lewis tried to point this out more than a half century ago, and given the current climate, It Can’t Happen Here is well worth re-reading (or reading for the first time, if you’ve never come across it before).”
It is from http://www.thismodernworld.com/ – and it is quite elegantly put.
Ronin
How much does it pay?
Welcome to Snitches ‘R’ Us.
Yes, you too can be a fink and do your part for national security from the comfort of your own home. It’s easy and it’s fun, just be nosy, and report whatever you see or hear your godless unpatriotic neighbors are doing to undermine our peace and safety.
Infiltrators and terrorists are lurking everywhere within our borders, you must be ever vigilant and watchful. That scruffy young man buying trail mix in your local Wal-Mart - WATCH HIM - he may be a treehugging eco-terrorist planning to hike into the mountains and burn ski lodges.
That “ethnic” couple moving into your neighborhood, are they really who they say they are - HOW DO YOU KNOW? Your government wants you to make the noble sacrifice, and get to know them. We know it will be difficult to associate with possible sleeper agents; but bake them a cake, welcome them to the neighborhood. Yes, invite them into your home, but observe them very closely, do they say anything that that might be construed as unAmerican - TELL US IMMEDIATELY! The safety of your family and nation may depend on it.
But the pawns of evil ones may also lurk within your own home, sad to say. Does your son listen to weird music? TELL US! Is your daughter reading books that some radical teacher recommended to her? TELL US! Our educational system is full of fifth columnists and socialists who want indoctrinate your children into being interested in other cultures and religions! America is the greatest nation on Earth, and every child should thank God every day in state-sponsored prayer for allowing them to be born on the shores of our great nation.
Is your spouse acting funny lately? Has he or she hinted at making a donation to such organizations as the ACLU, the Sierra Club, or even the United Negro College Fund? Even the person you married may have been turned against our great nation - WATCH THEM CLOSELY - because you may be next!
The rising tide of evil can only be turned back if loyal Americans, like yourself, are willing to do your part. Inform for Uncle Sam today!
If this is legit, then somewhere Joseph McCarthy is laughing his ass off, and George Orwell buries his head in his hands. 
I’m going to join.
The FIRST people I turn in are going to be the boneheads who enabled this program.
Reason: Covert operations to undermine the American way.
The world needs a strong and free United States, to stand as a beacon to the world.
The world does not need a fearful United States ruled by the informant, the midnight police raid, the asset seizure, and the unlawful arrest. (“Is that… legal?” “I will make it legal.”) Especially when that United States stands far above any other nation in military and economic power.
I’m worried.
You know I was thinking more about this and what REALLY worries me…
I live in a pretty small town. I didn’t grow up here, I moved here about 8 years ago. I’ve not hit it off well with the people in the area. Most of them are pretty religious and I’m pretty NON religious. Most of them listen to coutry music. I can’t STAND country music. Most drive large cars. I drive a little car. Most follow a pretty automatic american viewpoint, I don’t. I question everything and take nothing for granted.
Let’s just say I don’t blend in real well here.
On Sept 11th I was pretty shocked like most but I didn’t jump on the “kill the arab” bandwagon most people did around here. I’m not going to go into details about my feelings on this, but let’s just say my views caused anger from more then just a few of the people who heard them. In fact, I’ve been pretty outspoken about people becoming “bandwagon patriots” after sept 11th.
So far several people have told me to put a towel on my head and move to the desert if I love the arabs so much. But the fact is I’m NOT supporting the terrorist acts at all. I’ve just stating my thoughts on the issue.
You can almost guess that if someone my town (who knows of my viewpoints) joins “TIPS”, my views on Sept 11th will be reported.
But then again, from the Operation TIPS webpage…
So whenever you see an Operation TIPS sticker, just remember to say “God Loves George Bush”.
I, of course, will talk about the Quran, Allah and try to convert whoever happens to have this sticker over the Islam -of course, I’m Atheist, but that’s just a minor detail. Perhaps it will help bring in a flood of worthless calls and they’ll ditch this stupid idea.
Well, I have to disagree.
We’re dealing with a new enemy now.
One who lives and works amongst us.
These people are poised to destroy us at any given moment, and I think that, although it’s sad that the day has come, one absolutely needs to be vigilant of who their neighbors are.
People who disagree have their heads in the sand.
People JUST like YOU!
"Mr Bush! Mr Bush! I found another one for you! This person used sarcasm which may or may not put America in a bad light. Can I watch you bag um? You said after I caught 5 you’d let me watch.
Hey, I take subways everyday. You don’t think I’m (along with millions of New Yorkers) already keeping an eye out for suspicious activity?
What part of we’re living in a different world do you not understand?
:rolleyes:
Welcome to the live-action roleplaying game, Paranoia, where everyone is a traitor.
LolaCocaCola, this isn’t a new enemy. It’s always been among us. It simply made itself known. If this program goes fully operational, the new enemy will be ourselves.
Welp, I still see nothing wrong with being fully aware of your surroundings.
As a New Yorker, it’s inbedded in me.
Signed,
Mata Hari 
While this proposal sounds semi-sane in theory, in practice it’s vigilantism rearing it’s head. As has been posted, what is to keep a TIP informant from squealing on a disliked neighbor, or a neighbor that is reclusive by nature, or perhaps someone that once did something you didn’t like?
And, what then keeps that TIP from executing his/her own “justice”, because “I know I am right and the government has too many other things to worry about right now” ?
Americans are already super sensitive of “outsiders”, and this will make America as a whole a lot more paranoid than it is now. I am not saying that we shouldn’t be vigilant and keep our eyes open, but I am afraid this could go horribly wrong. On the other side, what’s keeping these TIP people straight? Wouldn’t these people be vulnerable to bribes, violence and the like?
I just do not see the need for the initiation of such a program. Since Sept 11, collective America has opened her eyes. We are all already looking for and reporting suspicious activity. It is our duty to the safety of our county to be aware. No one should be “recruited”.
Hell, everyone in my neighborhood is suspicious! What about the Bosnians that moved in across the street?, or the Puerto Ricans in the cul-de-sac?, they are always having lots of people over, or the Nigerians across the street, and, hey, what about those white folks right next door? They run inside when you approach and refuse to make eye contact.
In the immortal words of Pogo, “we have met the enemy, and he is us”.
Oh, you have GOT to be kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.
We have a freaking SECRET POLICE now? We’re modeling ourselves off Nazi Germany and Communist Russia? Lovely.
You know, all this time, these last couple years I’ve been defending Bush to the liberal crowd I hang out with. I don’t like him, but he’s not quite as bad as you guys make him out to be, I kept saying.
And now we have secret police.
Excuse me, I have to go look into moving to Canada. >:(
Well, aren’t you the King of SPAIN???
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering lims astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-brigded harbor that twin cities frame,
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pom!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddle masses yearning to breath free,
The wrechted refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
This will, of course, have to be amended with the following addition:
“So that us true Americans can watch them through our curtains, and see if those commie, rag-head, flowering loving peace queers are up to something no good - like not saying the Pledge of Allegiance, or promoting gun control, or not going to church on Sunday and worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and writing letters to the editor about some horseshit like free speech and the Bill of Rights, and becoming members of the ACLU, and working in 7-11s or as landscapers or something else that us God-fearing Americans are too good to do, or collecting welfare. Yeah, damn straight. I say bring them on so we can keep a real good eye out for them damn foreigners.”
its not that scary… its just a freakin phone number they can call… honestly… I belive some people so wish that the world would be like 1984 just so they could whine about it