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by Andrew DellaRocca/PNN MEdia Intern
I had been back in the country for less than a month when the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon were attacked on September 11th. This, however,
does not mean that I hadnít been paying attention to the American political
scene before. From where I lived in Brazil, I had the unique opportunity to
witness the reaction of a foreign country to the joke of the American
presidential elections in November, 2000. "America?" they would ask me,
"How could this happen in America?" A couple of months later, my friend
Sergio asked me why I was bombing the poor folk of Iraq, and I had to
emphasize that it wasnít I who was dropping bombs, that the order was given
by an appointed, not elected, Executive Chief. But the big issue of the
months preceding September 11, for those of us who have forgotten due to the
chaos of the past year, was missile defense. Security was at the forefront
of the political debate before the terrorist attacks. And after those
planes hit the buildings, and I squatted down in the shower for a private
cry, my tears were not just for the victims of the attacks, but for the
inevitable reactionary forces which would come from them, and which would
threaten us all, inside and outside of this country.
Then the issue of missile defense all but evaporated. That does not mean
that the program ended, just that the debate concerning it had ceased. Then
came the Patriot Act which, among other things, allows law enforcement to
search a citizen's home without ever notifying that they had done so.
Government became shrouded in secrecy, and the Freedom of Information Act
was all but destroyed. Meanwhile, the US population has become subjected to
the utmost scrutiny. And the reactionary forces that have been putting
these mechanisms into place have condemned those who wish to debate them as
unpatriotic. The historical defense of weak policies is to retract the
right to debate those policies, because to debate them would open them up to
destruction. Thus, in medieval England ruthless monarchs held onto power
with the abstract mandate of divine right, and in contemporary America,
shaky legislation railroads itself into law with the equally abstract
argument that to even question it is to aide terrorism.
Poor News Network(PNN) assigned me to investigate and report on Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System). TIPS was supposed to have
recruited Americans "in unique positions to see potentially unusual or
suspicious activity," according to the Citizen Corps website, and to report
such activity to government agencies. It is the equivalent of a government
funded citizen spying network, and would have involved truck drivers, letter
carriers, train conductors, and utility workers keeping an eye on those they
come in contact with during their daily routines. PNN took a special
interest in the proposal because such measures have often been used in the
past to oppress advocacy organizations and communities of color.
Information about the program was hard to come by. The official description
of TIPS, which is posted on www.citizencorps.gov is vague, probably
intentionally so. I was tempted to sign up so that they would send me their
literature, but was scared to do so, fearing that my name might end up on
somebodyís list, somewhere, sometime, without my knowledge. I decided to
try to find someone that has been recruited.
I was already angry at my mailman. Multiple times, magazines or large
envelopes that arrived at my house had been torn by his trying to force too
large a stack of mail through my mail slot. To think that soon he might be
keeping an eye on me pissed me off even more, and I thought it appropriate
to speak with the post office to find out what their role in this TIPS
program was going to be. I went to the local post office to get some info.
I walked into the dull, institutionally gray post room expecting to be given
indifferent refusals from workers whose job it was to take people's mail,
not answer questions. At the desk was an African-American woman with hoop earrings and two band-aids on her fingertips. I asked her what she knew about Operation TIPS. She gave me a confused glare. I explained to her what the program was, and how postal workers were going to be recruited "to report suspicious activities of the people in the communities where they work." She cocked her head back and gave me a suspicious look of disbelief, the type of gaze that usually accompanies the expression "no you didn't."
"I haven't heard anything. And I sure as hell ain't going to participate,"
she said.
She told me to hold on, and she went into the backroom and grabbed a book.
Flipping through the pages, she said that it would be best for me to contact
the business office of the marketing department, since they are the medium
of contact with outside agencies like Citizen Corps. She found the number
and gave it to me. I thanked her.
"Good luck," she told me, and I left, surprised at how her hospitality had
brightened the dull walls of the front office.
The US Post Office refused to participate with the program, I discovered
with relief. The realization that such a network would be in effect so
quickly, starting in August, prompted a loud outcry from all sectors of
society. George Orwellís 1984 was frequently referred to, as well as former
East Germany's infamous Stasi Police- a smaller citizen informant
organization than the one proposed by the Bush administration, but one which
was much condemned by the ìfree worldî as a tool of only totalitarian
regimes. Both Democratic and Republican Congressman have openly opposed the
program. Dick Armey and Bob Barr, both Republican Representatives, opposed
TIPS, as well as Senate Democrats Patrick Leahy, Edward Kennedy, and Charles
Schumer, to name a few. I am unsure of how our own Dianne Feinstein
approached the debate.
On Saturday, the House passed a homeland security bill which would prohibit
the implementation of such a program. Apparently, this bill will
effectively kill Operation TIPS, to our relief. More importantly, debate
over the measure was not trumped by patriotic rhetoric.
For me, my fear of contacting Citizen Corps should be nothing but
preposterous. Unfortunately, though, the fear was real. With the rubble of
the World Trade Center removed from downtown New York, prohibition against
our freedom to dissent ought to be removed as well, and my hope is that the
reconstruction of Manhattan will be accompanied by the reconstruction of
those freedoms which were stolen from us this past year. The defeat of
Operation TIPS is hopefully an indication of a necessary action against the
reaction.
*Editors Note; We just got this update on the TIPS program from fellow Conscious Citizen, Aya De Leon;
The plan (TIPS) has run into trouble in Congress. The House is moving to
reject the President's program. It is not clear what the Senate will
do,but it is likely to vote on the bill in the coming
days. The fate of
this deeply misguided program could very well rest with the Senate.
Take Action! Your Senators will play a key role in deciding whether
or not Operation TIPS will go ahead. You can read more and send a FREE FAX to
your Senators, urging them to reject this misguided
program, from ACLU's action
alert at:
http://www.aclu.org/action/tips107.html
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