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Florida Activates System For Citizens To Call Each Other Terrorists

An anonymous reader writes "Sheriffs in 13 Northeast Florida counties announced an online system Thursday for residents to report suspicious activity they think may be terrorism-related. The site provides examples of red flags to watch for, such as people with an unusual interest in building plans or who are purchasing materials useful in bomb making. Important places to watch include hobby stores and dive shops."

16 of 501 comments (clear)

  1. The Haystack by Mystakaphoros · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because the best way to find a needle in a haystack is to dump increasing amounts of hay on top.

    1. Re: The Haystack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It is kinda funny to see so many references to needles and haystacks crop up since Schneier said that, but despite the unoriginality of the people who quote it, I think the reason it's so often quoted is that Schneier managed to finally articulate something a lot of intelligent (but not so eloquent) people have been thinking for a long time. Ditto with XKCD -- it taps deep into the geek mind and displays the results with wit and elan. People read Schneier (or XKCD) and because they are well-written and well presented, they think "oh my gosh, he *gets* it." So of course they're going to repeat it.

      Anyway, snark all you want, but the unoriginality of an oft-quoted argument has no bearing on the merits of said argument.

    2. Re:The Haystack by GrumpySteen · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Who says they haven't? Rounding everyone up and decide who to actually arrest later sounds like scorched earth tactics to me.

    3. Re:The Haystack by Jaysyn · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The edges of a "kettle" would be the absolute best place for a suicide bomber to strike. You'd get to kill a ton of tightly packed innocents & as a bonus, eradicate quite a few LEOs at the same time.

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  2. Re:Really??? by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, you use 9-1-1 for real threats involving actual terrorists.
    This is for increasing the level of fear in citizens in order to make privacy invasion more acceptable.

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  3. There your country goes... by GodGell · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...right down the drain.

    I genuinely don't know what to say to Americans now. It's not like they can just pack up and move to the next country over. But I sure as hell wouldn't be staying another week if I was there... what a sad ending to a country with great promise.

    --
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  4. Glad I'm in Pennsylvania by scotts13 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...Otherwise, I'd be spending all my time talking to the cops. I'd probably set off every single alarm that's on their "suspicious activity" list. I'm active in hobby rocketry, and sometimes transport my engines in surplus bazooka shell cases. Plus, the girlfriend is a dive instructor.

    Hey, anyone remember the 50's and 60's? One the AWFUL things were were told about the Soviet system was the constant suspicion - people encouraged to turn in their neighbors, children encouraged to turn in their parents... (SIGH)

  5. Witchcraft? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wow, if you replace the word 'terrorism' with 'witchcraft' - it sort of reads like a document from Salem, MA circa 1692.

  6. Re:Really??? by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The same way it happened during the Red Scare?

    --
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  7. Re:Really??? by Mystakaphoros · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is for increasing the level of fear in citizens in order to make privacy invasion more acceptable.

    And since it will be the police getting the reports, how do you figure it will increase the level of fear in citizens?

    The first time local law enforcement says, "Reports of terrorism are up 900% this year; we need an increased budget to deal with the increased threat."

  8. Re:Dear Sen, McCarthy by dkleinsc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It also includes all the people who live near me that I think are Muslim. I don't have any evidence that they're doing anything bad, but I'm scared of them because of what Osama bin Laden did to us, so I think you should investigate them for terrorism.

    My list also can include, for an appropriate fee, any prominent members of political groups that opposed you in the previous election.

    --
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  9. Re:Well color me not surprised. by miffo.swe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The Stasi was primarily an organ of political control"

    Do you think for one second that Stasi did not use the exact same rhetoric as NSA, Homeland Security etc? What they did and what people in east germany thought they did are not at all the same.

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  10. Re:Might be a good idea by GrumpySteen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    State Police say there were no warrants or advisories on any of the individuals and "there was no evidence that the seven were committing any crime beyond the trespassing."

    How does that justify a tip line for people to report suspected terrorist activity?

    Even if those people were trying to poison the water, that reservoir holds 412 billion gallons of water. You would have to dump tanker truck loads of poison it before you'd have any chance of making anyone sick.

    There's simply no way that seven people trespassing can carry enough of anything to have any real effect, yet that's exactly the sort of thing that would get reported to the tip line (along with crazy people reporting their neighbors and all the people reporting Florida Man).

  11. Re:Might be a good idea by Triv · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here's your lesson, kids: caring about the thing you got your degree in should stop the minute you graduate, because any learning not done between 9 and 5 and in a school building by a tenured professor will get you arrested.

    wtf is wrong with you?

  12. Re:Really??? by screwdriver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Pretty soon it will be illegal to have a hobby. Just consume your goods and go to work like a good little citizen. I'd rather be a victim of a terrorist than live in that society.

  13. Re:Well color me not surprised. by kilfarsnar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Stasi was primarily an organ of political control, not an anti-terrorism or ordinary local law enforcement.

    Trying to draw a parallel is nonsense.

    Contrary to popular perception, the DHS can also be used for political control. Remember when the Occupy Wall Street movement was considered a terrorist threat? Remember when students staging a sit-in were pepper sprayed by the police? That's political control right there.

    --
    "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)