Ok, it may be early in the morning before sufficient caffeine, but this video is a little creepy, right?
What is remarkably about having an entire city looking for signs of terrorism is that a great deal of private surveillance is fed into the police. What are the implications of such a society of “watchers”?
So far, I’ve not received a single reply on the Huffington Post from any responder to my query: Pleas show a link to any intentional misrepresentation committed by either Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann.
I will ask of Byron or anyone, to provide a link or verifiable testimony that would prove MSNBC propagandizes or lies in any way.
Conversely, Fox News not only lies overtly on a daily basis, but is the actual source for engineered propaganda, ie creating fake numbers at tea bagger events, hyping and directing crowds for fake effect, even creating the source advertising for such events. That is not news but ideology at work.
It would help America and yourself to know the difference.
The corruption is so much worse than most know. Where does one go with the truth, when the truth is too Orwellian to be believed?
Slarti:
“how quickly can we have the entire Fox News organization arrested?”
about as fast as MSNBC or CNN or ABC or CBS or NBC.
S.B.,
It’s definitely illegal for the govt. to use propaganda on its own citizens. You would need to arrest people in the pentagon for some of their past/continuing work which appeare(s)d on all the major channels, not just FOX:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/us/20generals.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
The first thing I thought of at the word, terrorism, was Richard Cheney, espionage, torture, and subversion of the United States.
This could backfire. It is very likely going to yield a lot of police overreach. It’s pretty obvious, we have a serious right wing problem in this country and it’s cutting loose more frequently by what I see on the scroll.
We can thank Fox News* and Limbaugh for helping to restore order and unite America once again. Nothing like a republic under attack from the inside to restore bonds. Thanks, Rupert and Roger, for all you do.
What else could a jilted, exposed, totalitarian movement have on it’s plate? Do we see the difference, my fellow citizens across the isle? That is between democracy and dictatorship? …between the old party and the Neoplasm?
We had better believe Napolitano has a fascist problem. We all do. It is they who must be regulated now. Police state terrorism is upon us.
Legislation please.
[image of cheney surrounded by dead and dying, waterboarded…suspects]
I do not like Apple; however, if they would sue the LAPD et al.over the TM rights’ violations of iWatch, then I might change my tune–iTunes, that is.
Jill,
You said “It is illegal to propagandize your own population.” While I agree with you that this is deeply disturbing and immoral, I wouldn’t think that this video is actually illegal. And if it is truly illegal to propagandize your own population, how quickly can we have the entire Fox News organization arrested?
“Only your obedience to the police state can make it work” – That one really takes the cake for me. No freedom nor security for these knuckleheads.
Lovely how the video shoots itself in the foot multiple times, pointing out all wrong purposes iwatch could be used for. I would not have these people (or the LAPD for that matter) oversee a flea circus… by God, they scare me more than terrorists.
Last time I checked more people were suffering from hunger than from terrorism, but hey, we can’t all have our priorities straight, right?
The video encapsulates something very deep in our society. The white business man says you’ll feel powerful if you report another person. This is a society where very few people are allowed to have worth. It is bestowed upon the wealthy and the famous. I believe this is behind our obsession with both at the expense of anything that makes life good. Our culture is all about money and fame. Things like kindness, integrity, thinking for oneself, joy, creativity, learning–all subordinate to these overarching goals.
There’s so much self hatred. People feel very powerless, especially now, in really hard economic times. So the appeal to feeling powerful is a real hook into our psyches. Here people are asked to identify with the ultimate in power, governmental authority. Doing so will “make you powerful”. Of course it will do just the opposite. Turning against other people is an act of the powerless. It turns us against each other but we’re all for identifying with the aggressor. I know I keep saying this but we have to wake up. These are dangerous times and we must think deeply and act carefully, with all our faculties, including compassion and awareness intact.
AY,
I agree with you that this would amount to “government action” since the government is extolling the private citizen to take these actions. I think a certain Bush CIA head would call it a “slam dunk”!
IWatch is LA’s version. The DOD initiated their prototype in the fall of 2003. Just writing the programs name here would raise flags, but the mission statement can be safely revealed:
“But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.” Second Kings 19: 27-28
When Sy Hersh spoke at Duke University earlier this month the alarm gongs rang for 90 minutes straight at headquarters. Hersh thinks we should negotiate rather than annihilate the Taliban in Afghanistan. Hersh also suggested an element of racism in the Pentagon towards the CIC.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Hersh-+Military+waging+war+with+White+House%20&id=3974209-Hersh-+Military+waging+war+with+White+House&instance=homethirdleft
AY your cell phone is leaking your location.
This is a modified video. Ramsey Paul is no doubt on the terrorist watch list big time. The original doesn’t have him in it. Here’s the original from the iwatch website:
http://lapdonline.org/iwatchla/content_basic_view/42997
This video is so slick. Notice the multicultural faces, many of whom would be under automatic suspicion in real life for being people of color and looking funny. The business attired white man shows up with the greatest authority, even though he’s towards the end of it. Notice also the appeal to emotions, not thought–my family is in danger. If you read up on advertising and propaganda you will see there are known ways to reach our emotional centers while cutting off the thinking parts of our brains that should be working in concert with our emotions. This effect is also achieved with women’s wide eyes and camera angles. It is illegal to propagandize your own population.
Either someone made this video up from whole cloth, or they took the LAPD video & modified it. I can’t imagine anyone getting on board with IWatch after watching this.
On the other hand, maybe this is the LAPD’s original video & they thoroughly focus grouped it & found out that “Ramsey Paul” worked to better sell IWatch. That would be truly scary.
Did someone drop a dime on me? Hmmm my replies to the FOP/FLOP copper post never saw the light, did I make the censure list?
Jill 1, October 25, 2009 at 11:04 am
I think this video is a strong criticism of I-WATCH. It’s pointing out the implications of following the real thing. I think its done by people doing just about the only thing left to get through all the propaganda–using the same type of video messenging that the govt. uses, only turning it around and showing what the applications of it really are.
The YesMen did this to the national Chamber of Commerce who oppose all action on global warming. In return the Chamber had the power cut to the YesMen site. Here’s a link to the story:
US Chamber Shuts off TheYesMen.org and Websites of Hundreds of Other Activist Groups
Free Speech, Free Commerce Threatened by “Free Trade” Champion
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/10/23-5
I think this video is a strong criticism of I-WATCH. It’s pointing out the implications of following the real thing. I think its done by people doing just about the only thing left to get through all the propaganda–using the same type of video messenging that the govt. uses, only turning it around and showing what the applications of it really are.
The YesMen did this to the national Chamber of Commerce who oppose all action on global warming. In return the Chamber had the power cut to the YesMen site. Here’s a link to the story:
“CONTACT: The Yes Men
people@theyesmen.org, info@mayfirst.org,
347-675-0953 (Alfredo Lopez)
US Chamber Shuts off TheYesMen.org and Websites of Hundreds of Other Activist Groups
Free Speech, Free Commerce Threatened by “Free Trade” Champion
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/10/23-5
Byron–
It’s no joke.
You can read more about the iWatch program here:
http://lapd.com/news/headlines/new_iwatch_program_urges_citizens_to_be_eyes_and_ears_against_terror_plots/
http://lapdonline.org/iwatchla
the only guy that had it right was Ramsey Paul. Is this a joke video or was Mr. Paul the other side of the argument? Make the guy that is right look like a weirdo?
This has to be satire, no other explanation. If it isn’t then god help us all.
The sad thing is, I can believe there are a good many people that would agree with this. I think they are mostly called government bureaucrats and politicians.
Red light cameras soften us up for this kind of totalitarian BS. When are people going to wake up to the fact that Big Government is the enemy and the quickest path to slavery? We are half way there already, when you pay 30% or more of your income to the government you are already on your way.
No I am not against taxes because we need an army, navy, marine corps, coast guard, air force, police, fire fighters, roads bridges and other infrastructure such as waste water treatment plants. Although there is a case that can be made for private funding of infrastructure. Toll roads are an example as are fees for water service.
New Zealand is looking better and better every day. Although they do have very strict gun control laws (you can only own a shotgun or a bolt action rifle). But have a very favorable business climate and appear to be more free than we here in America are. Hopefully they keep the riff raff out.
This commercial is gross, and is going to lead to a lot of wasted time, money and man power at the LAPD. Shame on Bratton!
If this has not been over ruled then I believe that it falls within the scope of 2 cases that use a dual-pronged inquiry to decide if a search by a private individual constitutes state action within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment.
Souza, 223 F.3d at 1201; see also Smythe, 84 F.3d at 1242-43; Pleasant v. Lovell, 876 F.2d 787, 797 (10th Cir. 1989).
First, we determine “whether the government knew of and acquiesced in the [individual’s] intrusive conduct.” Souza, 223 F.3d at 1201 (quotation omitted).
Second, we consider “whether the party performing the search intended to assist law enforcement efforts or to further his own ends.” Id. (quotation omitted).
Both prongs must be satisfied considering the totality of the circumstances before the seemingly private search may be deemed a government search.
Me thinks that this could be considered Governmental Action.