Rat on Your Parents

Yet another parallel to the rise of Facism here in America, legislation is being bounced around now that enforces ratting on your friends or neighbors for drug use or posession on penalty of imprisonment, and this new disturbing trend...
Ratting on your parents.
I don't know about you guys but they can take this and shove it, I was taught to respect my parents, far above and beyond any civic duty that "officer pudhead" comes to the school and lays on us.

www.cdapress.com...
Cops Hire Kids To Enforce Seatbelt Laws
POST FALLS -- Dakota Kitchen became a Junior Seatbelt Officer on Monday and vowed to impose a stiff penalty on his family if they don't buckle up.

"One dollar," the Seltice third-grader said firmly. "Most of the time I have to remind my mom when we're leaving the driveway, and my sister always puts the part that goes across her chest behind her back."

Utilizing "officers" such as Kitchen is the latest creative way the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene police will try to increase seat-belt usage among adults and children.

"Sometimes it means more coming from your child rather than a police officer," Post Falls Sgt. Pat Knight said. "Hitting kids with a message can be better than hitting adults with a citation."

Post Falls began its run of issuing officer cards to third-graders at Seltice and Mullan Trail schools on Monday, just in time for the summer break. Officers will be at Prairie View and Ponderosa today. Coeur d'Alene plans to run a similar program.

The back of the card says, "As a Junior Seatbelt Officer, I promise to always wear my seat belt and make sure everyone else in the vehicle is wearing his or her seat belt. If anyone in the vehicle is caught not wearing his or her seat belt, they may be fined (blank)."

Yeah it may seem silly, just wearing a seatbelt and your little junior in the back seat making sure you're safe, but that isn't the real issue here, the issue is loyalty to your family. It's not ok to rat on your parents for something like this, at all. I'd kick some cops arse if I caught them trying to make my kid some kind of junior officer and get them to rat on me.
This is right out of late 1930's Germany.

I honestly think you just look for things to complain about...


The officers are trying to get the kids more involved in their families wearing seatbelts... just in time for summer too.

When I was a kid I'd ALWAYS reminded my mother to wear her seat belt when we got in the car...

1)because she never wore it.
2)because she an insane driver. (Don't get me wrong, she's a good driver, but way to "aggressive" for my likings.)

Anyhow... their trying to ensure that the kids always remind their family to wear their safety belt...

A part of the article you forgot to add says:

Post Falls began its run of issuing officer cards to third-graders at Seltice and Mullan Trail schools on Monday, just in time for the summer break. Officers will be at Prairie View and Ponderosa today. Coeur d'Alene plans to run a similar program.

The back of the card says, "As a Junior Seatbelt Officer, I promise to always wear my seat belt and make sure everyone else in the vehicle is wearing his or her seat belt. If anyone in the vehicle is caught not wearing his or her seat belt, they may be fined (blank)."

"It doesn't have to be about money," Knight told students. "It can be about chores. We just want to see more of you and more of your parents buckle up. Every time you don't, the chances of you getting hurt are higher."

Seltice's Keegan Knowles hopes his crackdown on his family's lack of seat-belt usage will get him out of brushing up on his reading skills for a day. Knowles already has a suspect he's zeroing in on.

"Usually my papa doesn't wear his, and he can be a crazy driver," Knowles said.

The kids feel empowered when they get the card. They want to make sure that their parents are wearing their seatbelts... and this is exactly what the police were hoping for.

It's not like Jimmy the third grader rides his bike over to the nearest police station to make a citizens arrest on their parents. Where in that article did you even find a part about kids ratting their parents out for drugs?



[edit on 6/10/05 by microcosm]

I honestly think you just look for things to complain about...

I agree

What about DARE (drug abuse resisitance education)?
It's a kids program that teaches kids to "Just Say No" to drugs.
It also teached them to tell an adult or Cop if someone is doing drugs
at school.

Is that bad? is that another parallel to the rise of Facism here in America??

I think its a great idea, I mean just think about it... You child tells you to put your seatbelt on! How bad will you feel as a parent that your own little-one has to tell you the *Adult* to be safe,

I hope this pushs moms and dads in to shape, As i would feel rather silly if my child had to tell me to wear one,

Thats my job as a parent, not my childs.

But i do like this idea and i do think it will help, Kids are very persistant,

Yeah, teaching kids to do the work of law enforcement and encouraging them to rat on their parents is a great idea. Well if you dont see the trend, perhaps I can illustrate it...

"...the Terrorism Information and Prevention System - will be a nationwide program giving millions of American truckers, letter carriers, train conductors, ship captains, utility employees, and others a formal way to report suspicious terrorist activity. Operation TIPS, a project of the U.S. Department of Justice, will begin as a pilot program in 10 cities that will be selected.

"Operation TIPS, involving 1 million workers in the pilot stage, will be a national reporting system that allows these workers, whose routines make them well-positioned to recognize unusual events, to report suspicious activity.... Everywhere in America, a concerned worker can call a toll-free number and be connected directly to a hotline...."

And yes I did say drugs, lest you forget the new proposed legislation that will make you serve time for not snitching on drug users.

THis kind of crap sound like a good idea to you? Here's what happens...

www.bongonews.com...
A trucker in Texas told us that he regularly delivers suspicious packages. "I saw one that was small enough to conceal a suitcase-sized nuclear bomb. In fact, it looked just like a suitcase."

A letter carrier in Oregon said that some letters he delivers have foreign stamps on them. "It makes my hair stand on end when I think of the dangerous foreigners who could be communicating with sleeper cells here. Things may look peaceful, but you never know what messages people are receiving."

A train conductor in Chicago said a man on his train had not bought a ticket. "He could be an Afghan with a blond-haired, blue-eyed disguise."

A ship captain in Louisiana said the Coast Guard officer who boarded his vessel looked suspicious. "There was a button missing from his jacket."

A utility employee in Wyoming said that a local widow had not paid her monthly utility bill on time. "She could be diverting money to a Muslim charity which supports terrorists. Or maybe she just forgot to mail the check to us this week. Either way, I have to be alert."

They will even pay you to snitch these days...
www.boomantribune.com...

The recent consolidation of our national law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the Help America Vote Act, Patriot Act, etc....

From The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
William L. Shirer
A series of laws decreed between 1933 and 1935 deprived the municipalities of their local autonomy, and brought them under the direct control of the Reich Minister of the Interior...."

www.thenewamerican.com...
www.new-enlightenment.com...

Have you ever wondered where they came up with the name kindergarten?
Perhaps you should look that up sometime.
histclo.hispeed.com...



Yeah Maybe I do look for things to complain about, but be damned glad somebody does.

Originally posted by SportyMB
What about DARE (drug abuse resisitance education)?
It's a kids program that teaches kids to "Just Say No" to drugs.
It also teached them to tell an adult or Cop if someone is doing drugs
at school.

Is that bad? is that another parallel to the rise of Facism here in America??

D.A.R.E. also urges kids to turn their parents in for drug abuse. There have been cases where children have been taken away from their parents because the kids mentioned they saw them smoke pot or whatever. There is a spoof t-shirt out there with the D.A.R.E. logo you can buy that says "I turned in my parents and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."


[edit on 6/11/2005 by djohnsto77]

Originally posted by twitchy
Yeah Maybe I do look for things to complain about, but be damned glad somebody does.

I am. After all, your complaints give complainers something to complain about.

i think its lovely.....who needs sheep dogs when you ca make sheeple snoop on each other


this indeed looks like pre-ww2 germany......i havent been skipping my history lessons you know

Originally posted by twitchy
Yeah Maybe I do look for things to complain about, but be damned glad somebody does.

I for one am glad that Twitchy has found something to complain about...Even as good of an idea as this may be, even good ideas can be destructive if carried to an extreme. Hitler's Youth Programs were a good idea, but taken to an extreme...If we see something like that starting in America, we must be vigilant against the extreme from becoming reality.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance against tyranny...And for the most part, America has ceased being vigilant. America is losing its freedoms as a result. Be glad that we have someone like Twitchy to remain vigilant...Even if Twitchy is being a bit extreme, at least we're being told in what direction to focus our vigilance...

Originally posted by nukunuku
this indeed looks like pre-ww2 germany......i havent been skipping my history lessons you know

I just said the same thing, essentially, but in a slightly bit more verbose manner...


BTW Twitchy, don't let anyone put you down about being a Thespian...I'm a card-carrying Thespian too.


[edit on 11-6-2005 by MidnightDStroyer]

I remember when I was a child, the police and fire departments would come to class and ask questions, like do you have smoke detectors? Mom and daddy have alot of cash? you do know what cash is right?

Its the same kind of thing.

I also agree with Twitchy. Although at first glance this seems to be about officers with their hearts in the right place, there was definitely a better way to accomplish the same thing. Why didn't they give the kids the little "junior seatbelt officer card" without the line about the fine? Why place an importance on tattling? The children would still learn the lesson to remind mom, dad, brother and sister to buckle up. They would also still get the same sense of pride at being a junior officer and of making a solemn vow. I know my children remind their father without the little card....because they love him.

I believe that it is the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens, but should that protection come at the cost of our individual freedoms? Should the government be able to go to any limit to protect us from our own bad decisions? I don't believe they should. Instead, let them inform the public on whatever safety measures they have tested and have proved to be valuable, then let the people decide whether or not to implement them. You could imagine an entire series of events to logically follow that would definitely cross the line...(penalties for failure to have a home security system, failure to take vitamins, or even for overeating)

There is also the concern over what values things like this are teaching our children. Will this give them the feeling that their parents are incompetent and not able to make sound decisions? Will it tell our children that the police need the help of little kids to do their jobs? Probably nothing as extreme as this, but then again, children are very impressionable and often form their own concepts that startle us.

Originally posted by SpittinCobra
I remember when I was a child, the police and fire departments would come to class and ask questions, like do you have smoke detectors? Mom and daddy have alot of cash? you do know what cash is right?

Are you kidding
As in, do mom and dad do illegals things and have a lot of cash?
I guess I was a kid in a different time and space.
This this police action widespread?

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe

Are you kidding
As in, do mom and dad do illegals things and have a lot of cash?
I guess I was a kid in a different time and space.
This this police action widespread?

Not kidding, and Im only 28, LOL

I think what Twitchy has been pointing to a lot of times is a police state situation possibly occuring.

Can you imagine living in a totally "controlled" situation where you are watched by cameras nearly everywhere you go, with piles and piles of laws and regulations in the name of "safety" or whatever.

Troy

First, and formost the Junior Seatbelt officer has nothing to do with TIPS at all. It's simply a plan to get families more in a "seatbelt mindset" for the summer. It makes the officer, and kid's life alot more easier when they don't have to scrape mom, and dad off the pavement for not wearing a seat belt.

I can assure you that at no point in time did any one in the Post Falls, Police Department say: "Captain, I've got a brilliant Idea! By encouraging kids to remind their parents to wear their safety belt; we can slowly train kids to turn in terror suspects, and drug runners!"


As far as the "snitch on drug user" legislation... How does the government, or local law enforcement prove you didn't snitch somebody out? I'd place money on you never encountering this "snitch out" law in your entire life...

Did you know that in Devon, Connecticut it's unlawful to walk backwards after sunset... Yep thats 100% true... and thats another law you'll never encounter in your life.

Did you know that in Marshalltown, Iowa, horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants. Yep thats another one thats really on the books, and another law you'll never encounter in your life.

THis kind of crap sound like a good idea to you? Here's what happens...

quote:
www.bongonews.com...
A trucker in Texas told us that he regularly delivers suspicious packages. "I saw one that was small enough to conceal a suitcase-sized nuclear bomb. In fact, it looked just like a suitcase."

A letter carrier in Oregon said that some letters he delivers have foreign stamps on them. "It makes my hair stand on end when I think of the dangerous foreigners who could be communicating with sleeper cells here. Things may look peaceful, but you never know what messages people are receiving."

A train conductor in Chicago said a man on his train had not bought a ticket. "He could be an Afghan with a blond-haired, blue-eyed disguise."

A ship captain in Louisiana said the Coast Guard officer who boarded his vessel looked suspicious. "There was a button missing from his jacket."

A utility employee in Wyoming said that a local widow had not paid her monthly utility bill on time. "She could be diverting money to a Muslim charity which supports terrorists. Or maybe she just forgot to mail the check to us this week. Either way, I have to be alert."

Yes... that is what happens when you use a satire/parody/joke site as your source.



The students getting payed to snitch thing is nothing new. They had that when I used to go to high-school too. It never... EVER worked though... in my 4 years of highschool I've only heard of one time when someone "snitched", and got payed for it. That particular situation was when someone pulled the fire alarm, and some kid told a security guard that he saw who did it. Other than that no one ever got snitched for petty things like smoking weed, or vandalism... and my school was PACKED with weed, and vandalism... I went to one of the worst schools in new york, so I can't think of any better place to snitch, and get payed.


Yes the times are changing... but as of right now we are no where close to a real "police state". I'm sure twitchy wasn't taken away by secret police in the middle of the night for making this thread... I'm sure no one here is gonna get imprisoned for making a post about "America is becoming a fascist nation"...

I've said it before in other threads, and I'll say it again now... most of you have nothing to worry about from new laws, and policies being enacted everyday. The average citizen has very little to worry about... being that these laws are made to ensnare terrorist, not "Joe the deli owner", and "Sally the student" (unless of course they're hanging out with new friends that like to disassemble AK-47s in their spare time, and read up on "how to create explosives". Then they may be at risk...)

Most, if not all of you will ever have your phone tapped (despite how much you think your phone allready clicks, and beeps). Most, if not all of you will ever be taken in the middle of the night for "questioning". Most if not all of you will ever be covered in swiss cheese, and smothered in honey... thats a topic for a different post though.

If this was the case all of us would've been taken away long ago for being on a site like this... questioned about who we know, and what we do in our spare time.

It's good that you keep a keen eye out though twitchy... one day I'm sure we'll find something we can agree upon. Like I've said before in a post long ago... I'm glad people on the other side of the fence complain because it makes me question my own views, and in turn keep, or renew them.