The War on the Unexpected

Started by TehBorken, Nov 01 07 06:23

Previous topic - Next topic

TehBorken

 [h3]The War on the Unexpected[/h3] [!-- /robots --] We've opened up a new front on the war on terror. It's an attack on the unique, the unorthodox, the unexpected; it's a war on different. If you act different, you might find yourself investigated, questioned, and even arrested -- even if you did nothing wrong, and had no intention of doing anything wrong. The problem is a combination of citizen informants and a CYA attitude among police that results in a knee-jerk escalation of reported threats.
 
 This isn't the way counterterrorism is supposed to work, but it's happening everywhere. It's a result of our relentless campaign to convince ordinary citizens that they're the front line of terrorism defense. "If you see something, say something" is how the [a href="vny!://www.mta.info/mta/security/index.html"]ads[/a] read in the New York City subways.  "If you suspect something, report it" urges another [a href="vny!://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1000/1000981_help_us_spot_terrorists__police.html"]ad campaign[/a] in Manchester, UK.  The Michigan State Police have a [a href="vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/04/citizencountert.html"]seven-minute video[/a].  Administration officials from then-attorney general [a href="vny!://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/attacked/transcripts/ashcroft_100801.htm"]John Ashcroft[/a] to DHS Secretary [a href="vny!://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-07-07-dc-londonblasts_x.htm"]Michael Chertoff[/a] to [a href="vny!://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E6DC1F3AF932A05752C0A9649C8B63"]President Bush[/a] have asked us all to report any suspicious activity.[/p] The problem is that ordinary citizens don't know what a real terrorist threat looks like. They can't tell the difference between a bomb and a [a href="vny!://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6387857.stm"]tape dispenser[/a], [a href="vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/09/woman_arrested.html"]electronic name badge[/a], [a href="vny!://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/22/church.foul.language.ap/index.html"]CD player[/a], [a href="vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/05/uk_police_blow.html"]bat detector[/a], or a [a href="vny!://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=182229&section=news"]trash sculpture[/a]; or the difference between terrorist plotters and [a href="vny!://www.startribune.com/462/story/826056.html"]imams[/a], [a href="vny!://dir.salon.com/story/tech/col/smith/2004/07/21/askthepilot95/index.html"]musicians[/a], or [a href="vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/10/this_is_what_vi.html"]architects[/a].  All they know is that something makes them uneasy, usually based on fear, media hype, or just something being different.[/p] Even worse: after someone reports a "terrorist threat," the whole system is biased towards escalation and [a href="vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/02/cya_security_1.html"]CYA[/a] instead of a more realistic threat assessment.[/p][hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]Full Story: [a href="vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/the_war_on_the.html"]vny!://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/the_war_on_the.html[/a]
[/p]  
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.

Lil Me

No, we sure can't be different.  Otherwise we'll be banished to the "fringes" like the deviants in The Chrysalids.  
"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it."  Robert Heinlein

Gopher

Just one of the many examples of a government's attempt to rule by fear alone.
A fool's paradise is better than none.

P.C.

Are they suggesting I'm a terrorist ?  [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/a093.gif" border=0]
Sir Isaac Newton invented the swinging door....for the convenience of his cat.

Gopher

They're not merely suggesting, PC.
A fool's paradise is better than none.