// By Dave Snyder The FBI is planning to announce the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract in an increased effort to “protect the borders to keep the terrorists out, protect our citizens, our neighbors, our children so they can [...] Related posts:
  1. Fascist Police State Looms Closer With “Intelligent CCTV”
  2. DNA swab brings us closer to a police state
" />

Home » Surveillance, Civil Liberties & Human Rights News »

The threat of a police state looms over us

on February 10, 2008 4:39 am / 6 comments

 

By Dave Snyder

The FBI is planning to announce the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract in an increased effort to “protect the borders to keep the terrorists out, protect our citizens, our neighbors, our children so they can have good jobs, and have a safe country to live in,” in the words of FBI Biometric Services Section Chief Kimberly Del Greco.

This seems to be a noble cause and something everyone can agree is important, but how exactly does the FBI plan on doing this? The FBI wants to create a database which compiles various types of biometric data, such as palm prints, eye scans, facial structures and even data regarding scars and tattoos.

And certainly this won’t only be used to track terrorists and criminals, as many of the FBI background checks (which already compile some of this data) are for people who are involved in such things as teaching and elder care.

While one can make the argument that this does not necessarily mean the system will affect every American citizen, regardless of his or her activities or standing in the criminal justice system, one has to admit that the potential is certainly there.

In this day and age, when government is too vast and too many operations and actions are being undertaken in secret in the name of “national security,” we must realize that this is potentially opening the door for a very Orwellian state and system in this country.

While it is probably impossible to find people who disagree with the notion that we need to implement new measures to combat and prevent terrorism and crime, it seems far-fetched to assume that these same people would agree with actions such as these, which have far greater impacts on society as a whole.

Certainly I’m not out committing atrocious crimes such as rape and murder, and would have no reason to be fearful of the government having my biometric data on file to link me to these crimes, but is it wrong to want, or even expect, some reasonable amount of privacy in my daily life?

This revelation, coupled with other actions and discussions on the part of the government, is leading us in a direction that just doesn’t seem too comfortable and compatible with our notions of liberty, privacy and freedom. In the past few years the government has discussed and implemented plans for a National ID Card.

There is ongoing discussion about fencing off our borders to keep outsiders out (but perhaps also to keep insiders in?). And who can ignore the depth and secrecy of the NSA’s wiretapping program, which has caused considerable controversy even within the government.

We must be aware of the potential for mistakes to be made with systems such as this. How can we know for certain that the government won’t suspect a person of having ties to a terrorist or terrorist organization, only to later find out that they don’t and that all the private and personal information which has been collected about this person does not aid the government in its endeavors? And what would become of this information? Surely the government wouldn’t want to simply destroy it, because it may help them later, should they ever have a reason to identify or track this person down.

Now why couldn’t they just use this same justification for everyone, as an excuse to know where anyone is at any time? The truth is, they could, and this is why this system should be frightening to many people, not just to so-called “privacy advocates.” Do you really want the government to know when you’re engaging in … ahem … marital relations with your spouse? Even worse, would you want the government to know if you’re doing the same with someone other than your spouse (not that I advocate this at all, but we’re speaking hypothetically here)? I didn’t think so.

Based on these new revelations, we need to ask ourselves how much of our liberties and freedoms we are willing to give up in the name of “national security.”

It is wise to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin when considering this situation: “They that give up liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Are we moving towards a “more secure” and “safer” society, or are we moving towards the end of “society” as we know it?

 

Related Posts

  • No Related Posts
 
  • christian

    "(…) While it is probably impossible to find people who disagree with the notion that we need to implement new measures to combat and prevent terrorism and crime (…)"

    You found someone: I disagree, because of the often Orwellian definition of "crime" and "terrorism".

    At first, how can those who often are themselves the criminals or the terrorists, or introduced with them, claim to combat and prevent crime and terrorism ?

    We need to implement social justice, equal rights, application of the law on the principle of opportunity, protection of the vulnerable against the mighty, and so on. And that's primary a matter of education, so we need to defund the parasistic Orwellian agencies and administrations, and fund education. Worlwide.

    The tools to combat crime exists already, and concerning terrorism, we are to prevent the fear, which is sadly real, of it, not "terrorism" (in it's novlanguage meaning)itself.

    But I'm pessimistic: we're exposed to propaganda and surveillance, the Orweillian and Kafkaian state already is reality. The "good jobs" of many of our children will be to watch over the other…

  • http://Hover-Swift3D-Traffic Johnny De Vulcan

    The Rich and the Lizards, who own everything, are less than 100 families, only 13 blood-lines. Do we allow this minority to destroy Humanity and the Planet (they CAN do that) or do we stop them? P.S. expect fake UFO -attacks (as proposed by Harry Kissinger)and the publishing of the Human-Alien-Connection in near future. Chem-trails are the altering of the atmo-sphere to fit the Lizards.(and kill the Humans) (with a little help from the Rich and influential)

  • JohnJ

    Hi Folks,

    This is pathetic news. Terrorism begins in D.C. It spreads through the robotic lines of correctness through the anger and vengeance consciousness of our violence programmed police and alphabet agencies. In fact, the American man and woman is the only ruler of any government – they just don't know it yet. The individual is the only and exclusive ruler of all government and government agencies – which are all, without exception, FICTIONS. The education lies in spreading the word – fictions can be good, if they are limited and tightly observed. The dumbing down process (communism or communitarianism) is well underway. BUT it does not change the underlying truth. Fictions are meant to be slave to real men and women, not brain programmed robots that believe they must be slave to fictions and the social programming and social engineering of a few pieces of genetic rubbish dwelling in D.C. and it's environs.

    Imagine a fiction where the child is fed the line – in America we are free and anyone can become president. Then look at the inbred squeaks that actually become presidents. Two Bushes just one term apart. Out of all the millions in America we end up with two of the same (and don't forget old Guvn Jeb down in lala land). This is supposed to be – everyone has a chance to be president? Fiction indeed and now with the possibility of another Clinton. Do you see the brain programming involved in this, can you see it. It's all cartoonorama. AND it shouldn't matter if the guvnment was limited. How many men and women, if asked, would willingly volunteer to pay what is called taxes today, if they truly understood that their payment is not required – if only the guvment was restrained from social and world engineering and the genetic trash was ignored? NONE, not a one. Which means that truly – the brain dead have become predominant. IT won't remain this way for long. The clock is ticking and men and women are waking up.

  • Kevin

    The CIA (American Intelligence), MI6 (British Intelligence), etc. are the biggest terrorist organizations on the planet and are responsible for such events as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, the Oklahoma bombing and later the 9/11 attacks, etc.. Most of the presidents have been members of secret societies suchs as Skull and Bones, the Freemasons, etc.. The intelligence agencies need to be dismantled and all government agencies and groups such as the Freemasons must be forced operate transparently to the public to ensure they are kept in check by public scrutiny. There is absolutely no valid excuse for government secrecy, even for military purposes in my opinion. The excuse of secrecy can be used by anyone to do things the general public would find unacceptable including plots against the general public itself.

    If anything government should simply provide services to the people, not oppress their ideas and collect unconstitutional income tax to fund unjust wars so a few rich families can make money.

    It's time to educate everyone about the true nature of our govern-mental agencies so we can start working to replace govern-mental control with enlighten-mental progression of the soul, rather than needless murder and the promotion of fear.

  • JAL

    check out “”…Zionist FBI operation designed to plants moles in your garden, dying to carry an automatic weapon to off you. Are we talking Martial Law? The Brown Shirts are coming to a “theater” near you. Every Cop is a criminal and all the sinners saints!

  • JAL

    Hmm, http://www.infragard.net/ how about that!