This used to be a popular toy fromthe 60's and 70's made by the Mattel Toy Company, but has become the centerpiece of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's citizen action campaign “If You See Something, Say Something”.  This includes security plans for next weekend’s National Basketball Association’s (NBA) All Star game in Los Angeles.

Napolitano held a press conference on Tuesday at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., with NBA Commissioner David Stern to announce the “partnership” that will put posters and announcements on TV monitors at the Staples Center in Los Angeles next weekend, and at other venues nationwide over the coming months.

In the DHS budget for fiscal year 2009, $2.9 million was allocated for the “If you see Something, Say Something” campaign.

Every citizen plays a critical role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities and threats," Napolitano said. "Our partnership with the NBA to bring the ‘If You See Something, Say Something’ campaign to professional basketball events throughout the nation is a vital part of our efforts to ensure the safety of players, employees and fans."

So how much of that $2.9 million will be used to compensate those who "See Something, and Say Something??  Should Americans be enlisted to be the eyes of the DHS?  Or are we setting ourselves up for some serious abuses of this system?