Slowly but surely, the powers that be are working on instituting a full-on police state that would make the fictional 'Gattaca' and 'Minority Report' a reality. Of course we aren't there yet, not even close, but things like this have to be introduced gradually. Liberty is not always given up so easily, so promising security is the way this gets done. Now it may be April Fools Day, but this plan is no joke.
From The NY Times:
The counterterrorism program is a lot like the way the TSA operates at the airport. The "benefit" to the people is psychological, in that it is supposed to make people feel safe. Yet its' ultimate goal is to take liberty away from New Yorkers (or wherever programs like this are put in place) in order to concentrate more power with law enforcement simply for the sake of power. The NYCLU is already on the case, and we should certainly pay attention or else it is only a matter of time until the next "necessary" police surveillance program is instituted under the guise of our security from terror.Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Tuesday that he wanted to create a security network in Midtown Manhattan that would involve license plate readers, heavily armed officers and a web of private and public surveillance cameras.
The plan, which would resemble a counterterrorism network already being installed in Lower Manhattan between Canal Street and Battery Park, would keep a hyper-vigilant eye on the corridor from 34th to 59th Streets, from the Hudson River to the East River, the commissioner told City Council members at a budget hearing Tuesday.
Like its sister system, the Midtown zone would have at its core the collection of data, including license plate numbers and video of people on the streets. It would rely on a web of public and private security cameras feeding to a joint coordination center at 55 Broadway that became functional last fall.
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