"The Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or
 TIPS, means the US will have a higher percentage of
 citizen informants than the former East Germany
 through the infamous Stasi secret police. ---snip!--
 As with the Patriot Act, TIPS is being pursued as
 part of the so-called war against terrorism."
---snip!--
"TIPS volunteers are being recruited primarily from
 among those whose work provides access to homes,
 businesses or transport systems. Letter carriers,
 utility employees, truck drivers and train conductors
 are among those named as targeted recruits.
 ---snip!-- Assuming the program is initiated in the
 10 largest US cities, that will be 1 million
 informants for a total population of almost 24
 million, or one in 24 people.  Historically,
 informant systems have been the tools of
 non-democratic states."
---snip!--
"The Patriot Act already provides for a person's home
 to be searched without that person being informed
 that a search was ever performed, or of any
 surveillance devices that were implanted."

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/14/1026185141232.html

http://citizencorps.gov/tips.html

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