DHS: The Government Is Not Only Making Commercials On Our Dime...
...They're deputizing us to fink on our neighbors. Raise a hand -- who here thinks this won't be abused? The next time I tell some boor who flicks his butt on the ground, "The world is not your ashtray," well, the SWAT team may be breaking down my door to search for my Al Qaeda connection.
Via Lisa Simeone (who was fired from her NPR arts job for having an opinion on politics instead of pretending to be apolitical -- as if her politics affect her opera coverage), hotel guests are "recruited" with Department of Homeland Security TV spots to "join the fight against terrorism."
Re-fucking-diculous. Much like it is for us to wait for terrorists to get to the airport so we can hope to have unskilled workers root them out by groping their genitals -- as opposed to using targeted intelligence, by highly trained officers, to find them.
From USA Today, by Barbara De Lollis:
Starting today, the welcome screens on 1.2 million hotel television sets in Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Holiday Inn and other hotels in the USA will show a short public service announcement from DHS. The 15-second spot encourages viewers to be vigilant and call law enforcement if they witness something suspicious during their travels.During the PSA, which starts with a woman exiting a yellow taxi in front of a train station, a narrator says, "Maybe you see something suspicious. Can you be sure? If you see something, say something to authorities."
The PSA, which will be interspersed with other messages on the welcome screen, will be the same in all 5,400 hotels that LodgeNet serves. It ends by telling viewers to contact "local authorities."
...The federal government gained access to hotel TV sets by forming a partnership with the hotel industry's largest association -- the American Hotel & Lodging Association -- which connected DHS with LodgeNet, the industry's largest TV-content provider.
By entering hotels at a time when the hospitality industry is on the rebound, the government has the power to tap a growing, captive audience. Recent research from LodgeNet says 98% of hotel guests turn on their hotel TV, and the average guest keeps it on for more than three hours per day.
"Captive audience"? In a word, fuck you. Oh, sorry -- that's two words.
Loved this:
DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard, however, cites successful citizen interventions, such as the May 2010 incident in which two street vendors helped thwart a car bombing attempt in New York City's Times Square by noticing a smoking vehicle and reporting it to police.
Like you need a commercial to help you figure out that you should do something when a vehicle seems to be on fire in Times Square.
And here's the dopey commercial:
Like a guy at the airport getting something out of his trunk is suspicious! (Of course, they didn't make him look like he was born in Pakistan or anything -- and no, not that all Muslims are, since some people misguidedly convert to the religion of intolerance and death.)
And, okay, the pantybomber and others sent by Al Qaeda haven't exactly been geniuses, but anyone with an IQ above freezing isn't going to take his bomb out of his trunk like it's a golf bag right in front of the airport or train station.
Well, if someone turns you into a newt, you should definitely report it. Even if you get better.
NPR really should stop taking government funding-especially if it's true that they only get 6% of their budget from it. Then, they wouldn't have to pretend to be politically neutral.
ahw at November 3, 2011 8:56 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/11/03/the_government_5.html#comment-2739083">comment from ahwThe ridiculousness is the pretense that anybody is politically neutral (save for those who ignore all political new for news of Snooki and the Kardashians). Let's rid ourselves of that pretense.
Amy Alkon at November 3, 2011 8:58 AM
Actually the bomb taken out probably will be taken out like a golf bag (or some other bag) right infront of everyone and will look like one too -- thus, it will not be suspicious at all. Just look like someone going golfing. And that is the problem. If they are going to be doing something bad, they (well most of the them) know enough not to be acting so suspicious.
The Former Banker at November 3, 2011 9:12 AM
This is so damn annoying! Yes of course it will be abused. I also hate that they treat us as if we are all stupid. Freedom is going away day by day more and more...
Melody at November 3, 2011 9:59 AM
I dunno, that guy was talking into his bluetooth, I am kind of in favor of torture for guys like that.
jerry at November 3, 2011 10:02 AM
To let them know what you think:
LodgeNet 1-888-LODGENET (563-4363)
Hilton 1-800-445-8667
Sheraton 1-800-325-3535
Holiday Inn 1-888-465-4329
Marriott 1-801-468-4000
Lisa Simeone at November 3, 2011 10:08 AM
Was that a DHS fear mongering ad or the latest trailer for a Jason Statham action flick?
Cop in response to nervous nellie: "Sir, they're filming The Mechanic-Transporter 4."
Alternatively: "Buddy, I'm just playing Bruce Willis' cop sidekick, this is the set for Die Hard 5".
Sio at November 3, 2011 10:49 AM
I wonder what local authorities actually think about this campaign. Because it's not going to help anyone if people start calling in all sorts of mundane incidents - like cabbies opening the trunk of their car. Eventually it would just become a lot of noise and could actually obscure reports that are significant.
peoplishess at November 3, 2011 1:41 PM
Back in the 80s in Germany any piece of luggage abandoned or forgotten in public got attention from the police pretty quickly. Two fire extinguishers where there should have been one was very suspicious and would make people leave the building without being told. (Thanks, Red Army Faction!)
This commercial teaches us to beware of men who don't shave. Can't trust those scruffy dudes. I see a bunch of them in Zuccotti park lately; call DHS and have 'em rounded up.
Storm Saxon's Gall Bladder at November 3, 2011 2:05 PM
Every single terrorist I've seen for these homeland security commercials has been white. And almost every single Authority figure or person who spots the white terrorist has been some sort of minority.
What a joke. Here's a longer commercial with more white terrorists. How are people not sick of white men being blamed for every problem society has?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z445BMBFDNA
ScottA at November 3, 2011 2:35 PM
Off-topic, Amy, but here's one for the public rudeness file. I was in the academic computing lab and one of the instructors, who appears to be 50 or thereabouts, and weighs 350 if he weighs an ounce. He got up from behind his desk and walked to the across the lab. And had no shoes or socks on. His feet were hideous! Toes seemed to be permanently splayed; you could have fit a gun barrel between them. And the nails were untrimmed thick and yellow. Seriously, I thought I was going to hurl!
An instructor, of all people, walking barefoot in the student academic computing lab! I might expect uncouth behavior from an immature student, but an instructor???
Patrick at November 3, 2011 4:00 PM
I predict these ads will be nearly as effective as the government's anti-drug ads. Almost.
Cousin Dave at November 3, 2011 6:01 PM
I won't call authorities short of actually seeing the accident, damage or something actually happening.
Once you get the authorities involved, they usually have a fairly short checklist of options from which to select.
And usually the suspect hasn't heard from a lawyer to just shut up without a lawyer there.
(I can't find the video Amy posted several time with the lawyer telling students about talking to cops.)
Jim P. at November 3, 2011 7:13 PM
People who have done nothing wrong shouldn't mind being spied upon.
Christopher at November 3, 2011 7:21 PM
Let's see:
And in what world do you live that you want a monitor attached to your body that will check your heart rate, BP, and record every movement in your life?
You can Kiss My ASS!!!
One of the more recent SCOTUS rulings that I actually agree it that the Right to Privacy is an unwritten but central tenet of U.S. Constitution.
www.cracked.com/article_19450_6-laws-youve-broken-without-even-realizing-it.html
Jim P. at November 3, 2011 9:05 PM
What is suspicious in the comercial, is an English speaking white person driving a cab in the city. I don't believe I've ever seen that.
What is suspicious to me is a bunch of 20 somethings camping out in a park, banging on drums, talking about taking down capitolism.
Joe J at November 3, 2011 10:02 PM
If you think that more government involvement is a good thing, you are mentally ill and should seek help.
We apparently want the hell portrayed in "1984".
Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc. Christopher, you are a Thought Criminal, engaging in activities outside Party needs. Room 101!
Radwaste at November 4, 2011 7:38 AM
@ScottA
Thanks for posting that. I now know that almost all terrorists will be white males, wearing black hoodies. Exceptions are if the person is breaking into a hospital, and then they'll run away as soon as anyone talks to them, so we're probably safe.
Seriously, though, who is supposed to be the target audience of these videos? Not to mention, I know how to work a tv, and since I've assumed the videos when you turn one on in a hotel are about how to use the thing, I've never actually watched them.
I doubt I'm alone in that.
Jazzhands at November 4, 2011 7:51 AM
@Jim P. and Radwaste: Hmmm, it appears your browsers don't render sarcasm tags properly. Are you running a modern, standards-compliant browser like Firefox or Chrome?
In all seriousness, I did write that to make a point, which your reactions helped make. A lot of people do make the response that I did, "people who haven't done anything wrong have nothing to worry about," in response to the laws and court decisions that grant police ever greater rights to surveil and search people or their belongings with warrants or court oversight. If you're troubled by your fellow citizens spying on you, you should be troubled by the government doing so.
Christopher at November 4, 2011 8:38 AM
Then, thank you, Christopher. In my defense, there are people who are serious when they say that.
In the future, historians will say, "America had it all, and they gave it away pursuing entertainment 'while Rome burned'."
Radwaste at November 4, 2011 9:47 AM
Christopher,
-------------------------------------------
<div class="comment" id="comment-2739713">
</div>
</div>
<div class="comment-content">
<p>People who have done nothing wrong shouldn't mind being spied upon. </p>
<p class="posted">Posted by: Christopher
at November 3, 2011 7:21 PM</p>
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This is what I see when I look at the page source and I use FF.
But you want a lesser than symbol (<) use "<". For a greater than (>) use ">". Then put any text in between.
But I'm with radwaste -- too many times I have had a nice logical conversation with a person to the logical conclusion that it is a socialist agenda. I get them there and the reply is something along the lines of "That will never happen, that would be socialism."
They can't believe that the socialist (or Marxist) agenda is happening.
Jim P. at November 4, 2011 7:57 PM
Hi Jim, thanks for the HTML encoding tip, but I was actually making a joke about the fact that there is no such tag. The w3c people need to get going on that and adopt it in the HTML5 standard (more joking).
Christopher at November 5, 2011 10:05 AM
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