Just the TIPS of the iceberg?

When I heard about the US Government’s TIPS program this morning, I nearly choked on my breakfast. I’ve been struggling with my outrage and astonishment at this program all day, trying to compose myself long enough to write about it, but my friend Tom Tomorrow has managed to put into words exactly what I am feeling, far more eloquently than I ever could, so I’ll freely steal it from him:

“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).”

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148 thoughts on “Just the TIPS of the iceberg?”

  1. I know that, working as a lawyer, the Patriot Act gives broad discretionary power to the government to ferret out bundles of private information on citizens *without probable cause*. This is an extension…and I agree, a very scary one.

  2. Wil,
    sounds like another typical way that our political system justifies doing something very scary-typical but scary. Glad to hear from you again today hope ya post again tomorrow, your posts really make my day. Have a good evening and a great tomorrow. Try not to let our “wonderful” government upset you to much.
    Matt.

  6. That is just so beyond words scary. How on earth did this guy get voted into office?? Oh wait, now I remember, he didn’t.

  7. Many have argued for complacency in the face of the government’s new policies and actions since September 11, 2001. They claim that those of us who fear for the loss of those liberties upon which the United States was founded are being paranoid, fear-mongers, or outright fools.
    At times, a small bit of that complacency rubs off on us, and we begin to feel comfortable within our new, smaller cages, imagining that the government, perhaps, believes it has gone far enough.
    Then we see something like the article Mr. Wheaton (SIR!) has linked today, and we cannot help but feel a chill as the walls of our shrinking cages grow ever closer, and know that we are justified to fear the complete loss of personal freedom in modern-day america.

  8. From article on Tips Wil linked to:
    “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.”
    Holy Moly!
    They’ll get us when we’re sitting on the couch
    They’ll get us when we’re sitting on the bus
    These people don’t stop.
    Things like this happens everday and people wonder why I’m against the government and their agencies.

  9. I wonder what they will call this McCarthyism of the early 21st century? The “Brown Scare”?

  10. First of all, I agree that the TIPS program is over the top. That said, the Neighborhood Watch Program has been in existence for 30 years with little protest. I grew up in an area with a Neighborhood Watch Program and I cannot think of one negative impact on my life. Are these programs different. Yes, to some extent, but see if this statement covers the main point of both programs:
    “The program is a collaboration between private citizens and law enforcement, through which citizens are given the means to contact law enforcement if they see activity they deem suspicous.”
    Seems to fit both programs nicely. What is my point? Well I think TIPS program at the federal level with a database to track all suspicious activity not warranted at this point. However, the Neighborhood Watch Program has been beneficial for communities for quite some time. Please realize that it is important to have a balance between personal freedom and the ability of the government (local or federal) to perserve our freedom. At some point in the future a TIPS program may be warranted. Ex: What happens if we start having suicide bombers in the US as a regular occurence. Would you want a TIPS program then?
    In regards to the TIPS program, if you’re against it, don’t run around proclaiming that the Bush is trying to implement a dictatorship. Call/write your representatives, let your friends and family know about the program and the possible negative impacts on them. It is still a pilot program so you have the ability to influence whether it becomes a reality. Enough said.

  12. Well. I hope to FUCK this one is alarmist. If its alarmist then it might not be as bad as it sounds.
    Either that, or you guys might have to learn how to say “Heil Bush”, and goosestep.
    Civil Liberties are there for a reason.
    The Salem Witch Trials were real.
    So was MacCarthyism.
    Dont let that braindead muppet take away the things that make you better than slaves.

  13. Oh shut up Wil. It’s a crappy idea, but don’t get yer damn panties in a knot. We’re not all gonna die.

  14. This is really scary. I’m half tempted to try to join just so I’m not on the business end of this. Unbelievable… We’ll never know who’s listening, waiting to report our unpatriotic sentiments to Uncle Sam. This is wrong.
    Er.. I mean… What a great idea!! Thanks for looking out for us Uncle George! Boy, I sure feel safer now that all the unpatriotic, non-Christian, liberal, homosexual, evil-doers of the world won’t be able to hurt us anymore!!

  15. Sigh. Another alarmist situation. Why is this so wrong? I live in a middle eastern meighborhood and if I see someone throwing out 40 empty fertilizer bags, you better believe I will call the FBI and give a tip. People shocked by tips are just self-important orwellian alarmists who like to feel important about “taking a stand”. Stop believing so much in the image of a program and how it relates to “1984” and more for the good it can do in preventing future attacks.

  17. Well, now you’re missing the point. It’s one thing to encourage neighbors to keep an eye out for something unusual, and it’s quite another to give permission (nay, a mandate!) to an entire segment of the population to actively spy on those they service. It’s creepy, is what it is, and it will undoubtedly encourage zealous and dangerous responses in a way that simply being alert could never do.

  19. emmmm, this dont sound to good, and i’m from London, but hey, to me the Government, all Governments are as one, one controlling force, we see only what they want us to see.
    Be carful out there people!
    sean.

  20. Geeze, you guys sound like McCarthyism reversed. I don’t know what’s worse, some of Bush and Ashcroft’s policies or having to listen to these outrageous conclusions that some of you come up with. To suggest that George W. Bush is going to somehow overthrow the America government considering how our system works is just asinine. Maybe he’ll unleash his secret army of spider monkeys they’ve been genetically breeding under the Washington Monument.

  21. Fans of Babylon 5 have been reminded of “NightWatch” even since they mentioned the Office of Homeland Security (heck, it started with ‘Shadow Government’.)
    No, I heartily recommend taking a look at the President Clark subplot for eerie parallels.

  22. Thanks to my marriage last August, I’m in the process of becoming a landed immigrant in Canada. As a result, my shock at the recent actions of the US gov’t. is coupled with both sadness, and a small bit of thankfulness that I’m here instead of there currently.
    It’s sad when one has to live in a socialist country to have peace of mind, eh?

  23. Talk about over-reaction! Can you think of a better idea? Of course there will need to be checks and balances, but I believe that it is really a good idea.
    So did everyone here feel as strongly about neighborhood watches? Essentially, that is what you would have here, but on a much larger scale.
    While I don’t find the current state of our nation too great, I do find comfort that there are people wanting to make a positive contribution.
    Regardless if you are conservative or liberal, it is clear we need to do something.
    Just my 2 cents….

  25. Sinkerhawk said:
    >> I don’t know what’s worse, some of Bush and Ashcroft’s policies or having to listen to these outrageous conclusions that some of you come up with.
    Imo go out on a limb and say… um… the first one.
    >> To suggest that George W. Bush is going to somehow overthrow the America government considering how our system works is just asinine.
    Uh.
    Uh.
    Um.
    Hold up.
    Um.
    Wait.
    Wait.
    Wait.
    Um.
    >> Maybe he’ll unleash his secret army of spider monkeys they’ve been genetically breeding under the Washington Monument.
    Or maybe he’ll blow his load on an intern’s dress and this will give corporate America a green light to commit fraud.
    Nutty.

  28. You know, I cannot really formulate an official opinion b/c I can see it both ways. On one hand, we really must keep watch for terrorism and such as much as we can. Then, on the other hand, we don’t wanna go too far. I mean, when the plumber comes to fix a leak, I don’t want him to be checking out my home and such installing little cameras or something. And searching unbeknownst to us? Isn’t there something in the Constitution about not being able to search without a warrant? Almost too much secrecy.. I just don’t know. There somehow needs to come about a healthy as possible balance between watching for terrorism, yet at at the same time not taking away privacies and certain civil liberties, etc. But that is hard to do with such a diversified culture. Also, what about if you cannot trust these “spies?” Embellishment and maybe even lying is a definite possibility. I mean, what if one of the spies happen to be a terrorist themself? An extreme case but real nonetheless. Too many “what-if” situations and such. *sigh* There needs to be a balance….

  29. . . Somehow, all those crazy people with the tinfoil hats and underwear suddenly seem to make some sense . .

  30. Both Bryan and Kimberley get the WWDN gold star tonight for reusing that tired old Ben Franklin quote for the 1,000,000 time. Do people think they are clever or wise when they spit that quote out?
    I base my opinions on realistic views and a comparision with the rest of the world’s nations. Too many here base it on some utopian ideal, much like Franklin. Only he could afford to be an idealist since he was there when America was just beginning. We have come far in the past 225 years, in fact we are the world’s superpower. There are many more issues and concerns that make it impossible to see things as black and white as Franklin did.
    Take a step back, a deep breath, and think things through as a realist.

  31. “There’s a COMMIE under my BED!!…There’s a Commie under my bed!!”…..oh wait that was Ronald Reagon. “Theres a Terrorist under my bed!!” G W. Bushy

  34. I just love some of the links you guys are providing. I’m suprised I haven’t seen a link to the National Enquirer or to Star magazine yet. Why not link some well known and respected websites that base their stories on fact and reality.

  35. Let the conspiracies fly baby. Let em fly. I’m sorry if I believe our government actually has little power over what I do. Yeah I know there are laws and junk.
    Bush is the anti-christ people. And this nation is going to hell so damn fast you won’t be able to spell America before it does.
    I’m still damn proud to be living here. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
    LOL!! I’m sorry. I understand everyone has their theories on things but I just don’t think our government is out to get us and destroy us.

  36. It seems like we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. If we sit back and do nothing we are like all the people throughout history who got royally screwed, who said “Oh, that’ll never happen to us.” But the opposite end of the spectrum (are you listening all you TIPsters…) smacks of McCarthyism. What to do, what to do? If it’s a witch hunt Bush wants, he’ll probably get it. After all, he’s in the White House, isn’t he?
    God help us, every one…
    and hide your kindling…

  37. If I may:
    “Now we all agree with Hitlers’ views,
    Although he killed six million Jews.
    It don’t matter too much that he was a Fascist,
    At least you can’t say he was a Communist!
    That’s to say like if you got a cold you take a shot of malaria.
    Well, I wus lookin’ everywhere for them gol-darned Reds.
    I got up in the mornin’ ‘n’ looked under my bed,
    Looked in the sink, behind the door,
    Looked in the glove compartment of my car.
    Couldn’t find ’em . . .
    I wus lookin’ high an’ low for them Reds everywhere,
    I wus lookin’ in the sink an’ underneath the chair.
    I looked way up my chimney hole,
    I even looked deep inside my toilet bowl.
    They got away . . . ”
    -Bob Dylan, Talkin John Birch Paranoid Blues

  38. 1st: I hardly think the BBC is in the same ranks as the National Enquirer or the Star
    2nd: Read It Can’t Happen Here. Also, read 1984 (someone sent it to everyone on the Hill, and probably in the administration, today).
    3rd: I understand that our acceptance of security changes with the times; unlike in 1960, you couldn’t carry a handgun onto a plane, even in 1990.
    4th: Citizen informant networks (i.e. the Stasi) are inordinately ineffective.
    5th: I really am scared at the Bush Administration’s potential to become a quasi-totalitarian regime.

  39. Uh, a little info on Franklin’s comment regarding liberty and safety – it’s from the Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759 (and was used even earlier in the Revolutionary period).
    Second, people preaching this end-times New World Order stuff – get a grip. Christians have been predicting the rise of the Anti-Christ for going on 2000 years – either he’s not coming, or he’s being really really fashionably late. I’ll take my chance on his being a no-show… feel free to camp out in the hills with your guns and child brides if you feel otherwise. 😉
    The TIPS program, as described in the actual government site (as opposed to the fear-mongering article), doesn’t strike me as all that scary. Having a clearinghouse that can route information to the appropriate authorities makes a lot more sense than calling the local police, who then call the local police HQ, who then call the state bureau of investigation, who then call the FBI, who then decide to bring in the NSA… meanwhile, the “suspicious” guy ends up blowing up a nightclub that evening.
    There IS a middle ground on this slippery slope that will require caution and vigilance from all of us to keep our government in check (not that we could do much about it, but still). To automatically stand on the rooftops and proclaim every security measure as Orwellian – end of story – is to be intellectually and civically lazy.

  41. scary stuff! Makes those of us who live on the fringe very nervous! Don’t want my neighbors turning me in for not vaccinating my child, or breastfeeding “too long” or for *gasp* being an atheist….damn bush and his cronies!
    The road to hell is paved with Republicans!

  42. OK, let me see if I got this right. I hear of a plot against us. These people want to take the lives of more of our men, women and Children. So I shouldn’t notify the FBI because the plotters have civil rights. Is there something in California’s water???
    At least Bush hasn’t pulled an FDR and interred all the Muslims. Next time you see Takei, ask him how that felt.

  43. To the new Canadian up there a few comments back, first of all, welcome to Canada, but secondly, this is not a socialist country (as you said). I only wish it were, but sadly it is very much like the one you are leaving, so please take care. We are so sure of our rights and freedoms here, that we forget to even check if our government is protecting them and us.
    To get back on topic, the TIPS program does sound suspiciously 1936 to me…no one expects their own country to become corrupt…that ‘s how it happens.

  44. Yes, yes, and no ever expects the Spanish Inquisition either.
    Also – for the Brits on board who are griping about this, might I suggest you look at what your own government is proposing to do to the legal system. Perhaps you guys should consider actually having your rights written down somewhere… just a thought.

  45. Don’t worry, Wil, I’ve been telling them all about you, and you’re still ok, aren’t you?
    Seriously, I wonder why the hell this extreme action is being taken. What’s the motivation here? The Excited States, indeed.

  48. Wow, Bart.
    You’re a genius.
    That’s EXACTLY what is happening.
    I’m relieved that you’re “with us.”

  49. wilwheaton’s good friends with Tom Tomorrow? that explains so very much. wilwheaton, you are one SCARY dude!!

  50. Neighborhood Watch was about old ladies and other stay at homes having nothing better to do than peek out their window at suspicious cars carrying possible chesters.
    This mess is entirely different and it didn’t start with 9/11, it started with that coup…er, I mean election that put this puppet into office.

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