Here in the Midwest we do not live with the same fears that they experience in the major cities on the coasts. I’m glad we don’t have to be paranoid about our fellows (at least not too much).

The article excerpted below is a commentator’s lament about how, in his big city, persons are pushed to inform on each other, similar to the old Soviet Union, East Germany and Cuba. He argues that the Informant Society rots the nation from within.

From my perspective in the Midwest, he overstates his case.

His examples, Soviet Union, East Germany, Cuba, are all Communist-Fascist regimes where the reason for the Informant Society was to suppress political ideas and political speech.

At least as of today, the USA does not attempt to officially suppress political speech. In fact, the Internet has EXPLODED with new political speech. I, personally, love to be able to express and publish my political views in this blog and on my main website. I feel more free these days, not less free.

But I appreciate the writer’s concerns, because he has to live closer to the daily threat of terrorism. However, I think he should recognize that he is ONLY being asked to keep an eye out for threatening CONDUCT not ideas and free speech.

Let’s keep it all in perspective, people.

Newsday.com - Opinion: “Communism was not defeated by the Cold War; it collapsed incrementally from hundreds of bad decisions. And one of those decisions was setting neighbor against neighbor, watching for suspicious activity.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, with half the world plotting to overthrow the new Soviet government, Soviet security asked the people to be on the lookout for conspirators. Then, as now, there were probably some good reasons to be vigilant. But those officials also used an unnecessarily vague term - ‘counterrevolutionary activity.’ The initial implication was there were people who were working with foreigners to overthrow the revolution. But quickly ‘counterrevolutionary’ became anything that was not in lock step with the government. The government wanted everyone reporting on everyone, with the government deciding how to evaluate the information. Casual social encounters, play dates between children, conversations on banal subjects were reported and filed.

At the outset of the Cold War, East Germany also had reason to be vigilant. It was laced with Western agents seeking to sabotage the country. Some of them were Germans with Nazi pasts. The East German security force, the Stasi, asked citizens to inform on any activity that seemed suspicious. Many did so because they felt their country was being threatened. Eventually this settled into an informant network in which the mundane activities of a large part of the East German population was being reported to the Stasi.

CIA sabotage, assassination attempts and other mayhem in Cuba during the 1960s are well documented. The Cuban government responded with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. By 1965, one out of every two Cuban adults belonged, and most Cubans informed on their neighbors. What was considered counterrevolutionary activity? It could be almost anything, including an expletive hurled at a government announcement. In the years since, Cubans have learned to distrust their friends and neighbors.

This practice of turning as many people as possible into government snitches rotted these societies from within, and turned civic-mindedness into a base instinct rather than a lofty one. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the most despised people from the old regime were not the officials, not even the secret police officials; they were the informants.”