If you've started to notice the red "V" symbol around -- whether as a small lapel pin, graffiti, or window poster, it stands for "V for Victory."
In a provocative essay entitled "You Are The Resistance Against The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Occupation Of America," Paul Joseph Watson and Alex Jones respond to the "See Something, Say Something" campaign -- a "community-based law enforcement that enlists common citizens to report "suspicious" activity of others. (Trending News - January 21, 2011)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced the expansion of the national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores across the United States.
The original campaign was announced back in November, 2010 when Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John Pistole announced the expansion of the nationwide "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign in the National Capital Region and to the nation's hotel and lodging industry—"raising public awareness and strengthening security in America's tourism and travel industry."
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The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and funded, in part, by $13 million from DHS' Transit Security Grant Program—is a program to engage the public and key "frontline" employees to identify and report "indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats" to transportation and law enforcement authorities.
"As Americans head into the busy holiday travel season, it is important to remember that every individual has a role to play in keeping our country safe and secure," said Secretary Napolitano. "The ‘If You See Something, Say Something' campaign encourages travelers and those who work in the hotel industry to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper law enforcement authorities."
Secretary Napolitano and Administrator Pistole joined Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Chief Stephen Holl and Metro Transit Police Department Police Chief Michael Taborn in announcing the launch of "If You See Something, Say Something" advertisements in DC-area airports, public transit, movie theaters, gas stations and on local radio stations.
"The partnerships we build in communities and with travelers are critical to supporting our security mission," said TSA Administrator Pistole. "We saw with the failed Times Square attack the impact alert travelers can have and we ask for the public's continued partnership to help keep our skies safe."
Recognizing the role of the hospitality industry in protecting travelers, Secretary Napolitano also highlighted DHS' new "If You See Something, Say Something" partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA)—announced by Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute in New York City on Saturday.
With the assistance of AH&LA, DHS offered threat briefings to industry stakeholders, created a web-based training tool for employees, and has created public education materials to help the hotel industry manage security at their facilities and encourage hotel employees to identify and report suspicious activities and threats. These materials are available at www.dhs.gov/cfsector.
Since the beginning of the summer, DHS has worked with state and local officials to leverage techniques from the law enforcement community while engaging the public in identifying and reporting "suspicious activity" through the national Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to specific threats and terrorism-related crime—and the expansion of "If You See Something, Say Something" to communities throughout the country, launching new partnerships with organizations including AH&LA, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the general aviation industry and fusion centers.
DHS announced that in the comping months, the Department would continue to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign nationally with public education materials and outreach tools designed to engage America's businesses, communities, and citizens to remain vigilant and play an active role in reporting "suspicious activity."
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In their essay, Paul Joseph Watson and Alex Jones quote Matthew Cobb's The Resistance --
“Resistance V’s appeared all over the country….The V campaign meant ordinary people could feel they were doing something, however symbolic, to protest against the Occupation.”
“The British radio has called on people to write V for victory everywhere, and they are all over the place, even on shop fronts. They are also written on blackboards, on tables – everywhere. Even better, there’s a new badge: a V made with two crossed pins and worn on the lapel. Yvette and I counted seventy-five in five minutes!…On the Rue d’Astorg, I scribbled a V on a German car. I heard the sound of boots behind me, and moved off quickly.”
