“The Department of Homeland Security is recruiting hotel guests to join the fight against terrorism.”
“Welcome screens on 1.2 million hotel television sets in Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Holiday Inn and other hotels in the USA will show a short public service announcement from DHS. The 15-second spot encourages viewers to be vigilant and call law enforcement if they witness something suspicious during their travels.”
The federal government formed a partnership with Lodge Net, the hotel industry’s largest TV content provider to run the ads. Since 98% of those who stay in hotels turn on the TV, the government wants to tap a captive audience.
Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, said reaching “millions of guests that stay at hotels and motels each year is a significant step in engaging the full range of partners in our Homeland Security efforts… It’s about everyone doing their part to help keep each other and the country safe.”
Critics of the initiative suggest that the new advertisement will generate a large amount of baseless tips that will inundate law enforcement authorities. Another concern is that the new ads will create an environment of suspicion similar to the time of the inquisition in Spain during the middle ages. Any misunderstood action, any strange word could bring suspicion upon that person and could necessitate a trip to the inquisitorial tribunal.
While it may seem innocuous at first, and while the fear of terrorism diminishes a negative reaction, the principles are very similar to the environment created by the inquisition. Such an ad could easily encourage citizens to be distrustful of their neighbors, apprehensive of any unusual, innocent activity with which they might not be familiar, and eventually even create suspicion of private religious assembly. After all, it was the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, under Janet Napolitano, that published a report listing teachers of end-time prophecy as potential extremists, or motivating extremists to do terrorist acts.
The U.S. Constitution was designed, among other things, to protect its people from such an environment. Could such a program to increase the “watchfulness” of U.S. citizens end up encouraging them to spy on their fellow Americans, or to assume the worst, leading to unwarranted searches, the loss of the right to privacy, freedom to assemble privately, etc? Could such ads eventually lead to “revenge tips” in which one person, upset with another, privately tips off law enforcement agencies to minor offences? That kind of thing happened during the inquisition, particularly because tips and tippers were kept confidential.
Sound impossible? God has told us what is coming upon the world, particularly as Rome gains more influence and power, the Papacy will resurrect its principles.
“Every principle of the papacy that existed in past ages exists today. The doctrines devised in the darkest ages are still held. Let none deceive themselves.” Great Controversy, page 571
“[The United States] shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government…” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, page 451
Read more at www.ktfministry.org
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