Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
Both sides previous revision Previous revision | Next revisionBoth sides next revision | ||
translucent_futures [2008-07-01 16:29] – angelo | translucent_futures [2008-07-01 16:33] – angelo | ||
---|---|---|---|
Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
== U.S. defense contractors help to build a high-tech police state in Shenzen, China == | == U.S. defense contractors help to build a high-tech police state in Shenzen, China == | ||
- | "The Communist Party chose Chenzen — thanks to its location close to Hong Kong's port — to be China' | + | "The Communist Party chose Chenzen — thanks to its location close to Hong Kong's port — to be China' |
- | [...]\\ | + | [...] |
Over the past two years, some 200,000 surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the city. Many are in public spaces, disguised as lampposts. The closed-circuit TV cameras will soon be connected to a single, nationwide network, an all-seeing system that will be capable of tracking and identifying anyone who comes within its range — a project driven in part by U.S. technology and investment. Over the next three years, Chinese security executives predict they will install as many as 2 million CCTVs in Shenzhen, which would make it the most watched city in the world. (Security-crazy London boasts only half a million surveillance cameras.) | Over the past two years, some 200,000 surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the city. Many are in public spaces, disguised as lampposts. The closed-circuit TV cameras will soon be connected to a single, nationwide network, an all-seeing system that will be capable of tracking and identifying anyone who comes within its range — a project driven in part by U.S. technology and investment. Over the next three years, Chinese security executives predict they will install as many as 2 million CCTVs in Shenzhen, which would make it the most watched city in the world. (Security-crazy London boasts only half a million surveillance cameras.) | ||
The security cameras are just one part of a much broader high-tech surveillance and censorship program known in China as " | The security cameras are just one part of a much broader high-tech surveillance and censorship program known in China as " | ||
Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
Totalitarianism is often distinguished from **dictatorship, | Totalitarianism is often distinguished from **dictatorship, | ||
+ | |||
+ | [...] | ||
Police operations within a totalitarian state often appear similar to those within a **police state**, but one important difference distinguishes them. In a police state the police operate according to known, consistent procedures. In a totalitarian state the police operate without the constraints of laws and regulations. Their actions are unpredictable and directed by the whim of their rulers. Under Hitler and Stalin uncertainty was interwoven into the affairs of the state. The German constitution of the Weimar Republic was never abrogated under Hitler, but an enabling act passed by the Reichstag in 1933 permitted him to amend the constitution at will, in effect nullifying it. The role of lawmaker became vested in one man. Similarly, Stalin provided a constitution for the Soviet Union in 1936 but never permitted it to become the framework of Soviet law. Instead, he was the final arbiter in the interpretation of Marxism–Leninism–Stalinism and changed his interpretations at will. Neither Hitler nor Stalin permitted change to become predictable, | Police operations within a totalitarian state often appear similar to those within a **police state**, but one important difference distinguishes them. In a police state the police operate according to known, consistent procedures. In a totalitarian state the police operate without the constraints of laws and regulations. Their actions are unpredictable and directed by the whim of their rulers. Under Hitler and Stalin uncertainty was interwoven into the affairs of the state. The German constitution of the Weimar Republic was never abrogated under Hitler, but an enabling act passed by the Reichstag in 1933 permitted him to amend the constitution at will, in effect nullifying it. The role of lawmaker became vested in one man. Similarly, Stalin provided a constitution for the Soviet Union in 1936 but never permitted it to become the framework of Soviet law. Instead, he was the final arbiter in the interpretation of Marxism–Leninism–Stalinism and changed his interpretations at will. Neither Hitler nor Stalin permitted change to become predictable, |