Story on BoingBoing today about a rather scary issue as reported by FOX News:
♦ DHS to firefighters: snoop on emergency victims for evidence of terrorism
The imperial government under King George wants firefighters, who don’t need a warrant to enter your house when they’re responding to an emergency, as a means of circumventing that annoying, silly little 4th Amendment thing. King George wants them (as well as meter readers, by the way, who can look into windows) to not just report on the obvious dangers such as finding bomb making equipment (duh,) but also, get this: items and behavior that appear un-American and un-patriotic!
Welcome to the Eastern Bloc, comrade!
But a volunteer firefighter commenting on BoingBoing made this additional, thoughtful observation:
If criminals have to worry that by calling the fire department they are also calling the DHS, they may be less likely to call in the first place, putting lives and property at further risk. If they do call, they may treat firefighters as hostile parties, placing firefighters’ lives at risk beyond the normal hazards of the job.
We’re already well into the world of 1984, this takes us a step closer to Fahrenheit 451. Sweet. Always thought it’d be nice if the world were more like the books I read….
UPDATE: Some of the comments on BoingBoing are good:
I have to agree with Andrew. I’m an EMT in Washington St. We are taught that we are advocates of the patient, so even when I roll up on-scene of a car accident and smell alcohol on the breath of a driver, I’m not allowed to tell the police; only the hospital staff see my report. I know I look around the apartments and houses, but it’s certainly not for DHS or the police.
-tfuller
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