President Bush wants to recruit volunteers to act as spies (informants, tattle-tales, etc.) against their neighbors. Under the proposed program -- which the President is calling Operation TIPS -- the government would recruit mail carriers, utility workers, cable installers, and others whose jobs allow them access to private residences to report suspicious activities. [How do we define suspicious?]
If you want to report a TIPSter (i.e. one who gives TIPS), then visit http://www.all-the-other-names-were-taken.com/tipstips.html
I am not an ACLU member, but additional information about Operation TIPS is provided by this ACLU Action Alert: Stop the Government from Turning Neighbor Against Neighbor.
A litter hot-line runs the risk of turning neighbor against neighbor.
Author: G.D.Thurman
[gdt@deru.com]
Created: 15 July 2002