11.10.1. Police states need a sense of terror to help magnify the
power or the state, a kind of "shrechlichkeit," as the Nazis
used to call it. And lots of informants. Police states need
willing accomplices to turn in their neighbors, or even their
parents, just as little Pavel Morozov became a Hero of the
Soviet People by sending his parents to their deaths in
Stalin's labor camps for the crime of expressing negative
opinions about the glorious State.
- (The canonization of Pavel Morozov was recently repudiated
by current Russian leaders--maybe even by the late-Soviet
era leades, like Gorbachev--who pointed out the corrosive
effects of encouraging families to narc on each
other...something the U.S. has forgotten...will it be 50
years before our leaders admit that having children turn in
Daddy for using "illegal crypto" was not such a good idea?)
11.10.2. Children are encouraged in federally-mandated D.A.R.E.
programs to become Junior Narcs, narcing their parents out to
the cops and counselors who come into their schools.
11.10.3. The BATF has a toll-free line (800-ATF-GUNS) for snitching on
neighbors who one thinks are violating the federal gun laws.
(Reports are this is backfiring, as gun owners call the
number to report on local liberal politicians and gun-
grabbers.)
11.10.4. Some country we live in, eh? (Apologies to non-U.S. readers,
as always.)
11.10.5. The implications for use of crypto, for not trusting others,
etc., are clear
11.10.6. Dangers of informants
+ more than half of all IRS prosecutions arise out of tips by
spouses and ex-spouses...they have the inside dope, the
motive, and the means
- a sobering thought even in the age of crypto
+ the U.S. is increasing a society of narcs and stool
pigeons, with "CIs" (confidential informants), protected
witnesses (with phony IDs and lavish lifestyles), and with
all sorts of vague threats and promises
- in a system with tens of thousands of laws, nearly all
behavior breaks at least some laws, often unavoidably,
and hence a powerful sword hangs over everyone's head
- corrosion of trust, especially within families (DARE
program in schools encourages children to narc on their
parents who are "substance abusers"!)
By Tim May, see README
HTML by Jonathan Rochkind