America’s Informant Society
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/americas-informant-society
American World War II poster by Seymour R. Goff.
President Dwight Eisenhowers Farewell Address more than 50 years ago is famous for its warning about the military-industrial complex, but he also warned that permanent war and a permanent arms industry would do great harm to American rights and liberties.
Over the past decade, we have experienced a George W. Bush administration that deputized the Pentagon to spy on law-abiding citizens, with military officers attending antiwar rallies and staff sergeants engaged in the National Security Agencys warrantless eavesdropping.
And now we have an Obama administration that has encouraged the creation of its own informant network among millions of federal employees and contractors to watch for high-risk persons or behaviors among co-workers.
The use of informant networks dates at least as far back as the Roman Empire. Delatores (informants) were recruited from all classes of society, including slaves, lawyers and philosophers. Prior to the death of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union used pervasive informant networks in the Communist Partys efforts to eradicate so-called crimes against state property.