Government idea getting a bad rap

This letter is in response to the July 31 letter by Larey McLaren titled, “TIPS proposal: It’s an egregious assault on freedom.”

What world is he living in? Did he not know that he is currently under 24-hour surveillance by his friends and neighbors? It is the duty of every American citizen to be on the lookout for shady characters doing shady things in their area and it is our duty to inform law enforcement representatives when we see things that look out of place.

In the days following the attack last year everyone was enraged that different offices each knew a separate little piece of what was going on. We claimed the government dropped the ball. They weren’t organized. Well, now they are working on it and the first thing we get is a 24-hour hotline that centralizes all information relating to possible terrorist activity, educational courses for professionals to be able to ascertain when things in their particular field are awry, and the security in knowing that we are organized against further harm.

I am sure Mr. McLaren read “1984,” but for the record, it was fiction. Yes, perhaps it had a deeper philosophical point, nonetheless it was fiction. There is no Big Brother out to get people. Unless, of course, they are a criminal or a terrorist in which case, yes, they should be scared. If I see someone trying to stuff a package marked TNT into a mailbox, I am going to do my American duty and report it and I pray to God that everyone else would do the same.

Everett

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