It’s all gone pear-shaped. Bush has finally gone off his rocker. I want absolutely nothing to do with this anymore.
Oh, and so has Matt Groenig, in a good way. Thanks
I pledge allegiance to and wrap myself in the flag of the United States against anything un-American and to the Republicans for which it stands, two nations, under Jesus, rich against poor, with curtailed liberty and justice for all except blacks, homosexuals, women who want abortions, communists, welfare queens, treehuggers, feminazis, illegal immigrants, children of illegal immigrants, and you if you don’t watch your step.
actually, and remember I don’t like bush and the patriot act does scare me, but I doubt the validity of this article on several fronts:
1) I can’t find backup anywhere, this would be front page material and its no where to be found
2) I doubt the author in this case, he has an axe to grind (read his brief bio and you’ll begin to see), and while TIPS may have been put on the table at some point (I have no faith in ashcroft and beleive that if he was given the chance, he’d make Stalin look like a puppy dog) but also think that Chaney and Powell would come out against it and that at least the new york times, or mother jones, or npr would grab this story and run. They haven’t.
This is a case where I think its more an imaginative story then anything based on fact. Should that ever realy happen here, I’ll be gone so fast though (but for now, I don’t think it would)
no, it’s real
http://www.citizencorps.gov/
bush frightens me :(
so in reading further info, I still stand by the statement that the author has an axe to grind and is taking TIPS to a conclusion that is no means certain.
Having said that, it does look very scary in that this is something that can be used against the populous much like the secret policy ond citizen spying in the soviet union back in its purge heyday, if taken in the worst possibly light. Though the tips is supposed to teach postal workers, truckers, utility ppl etc what to look for, its very targeted in who they want to “recruit”. And what they will be doing is also debatable. Now granted, those groups should not be agents of the government and the fact that bush wants to enlist them is scary enough but the author chose to leave this part out and instead made it sound more like a mass recruitment of joe and jane schmo, your next door neighbors. Yet, if these groups are only being trained what to look for (powder spilling out of an envelope, wierd wires crossed, a rental truck with 20 tons of fertilizer) in the daily doings of their job, then I might not have too much issue with it (it would be akin to the safety training you get when starting at a new company). But if this includes cable repair people etc who go into your house and report back on that, well that violates amendment rights and is really quite bad.
There really is so little known about this, and the 1 in 34 number the author thru out looks made up. This is scary, but the author has his agenda and is pushing it thru in his article. Basically, I am very left, but when presented with the opinions of a writer (any writer), I really want the author to back them up with facts and not expect me to take what he says at face value. And in the case of the article in question, I don’t think the author is presenting a realistic view (and didn’t quote one source, or even give much information at all). This guy wrote and op ed piece, nothing more. this is a much better article on the topic
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63924-2002Jul12.html
it presents what is known, and this is from a fairly conservative paper (a disclaimer).
yep, and I’m reading a lot more on this, sadly its either the far left or far right media (it is strange seeing guerillanews and the john birch society agree).
I don’t think enough information is out now, and actually the tips part doesn’t scare me that much, its the extension of the neighborhood watch and the 4000 hours service (but we tell you what service counts) that bothers me.
for the babylon 5 fans, I’m wondering if I’m sounding like Zack.
I still think its too early to call, but this is not a warm fuzzy