surveillance

Nowadays, it seems like we are always being watched. Not just watched but videotaped and profiled. I remember reading 1984 and the phrase "Big Brother is Watching You" standing out in my recollection from that time forth. Is it art imitating life or life imitating art with this proclamation becoming a reality in the 21 century? I have noticed cameras on the Arcata plaza, down in San Francisco, in inner city Philadelphia and throughout London. It has become apparent to me that people are being watched just like in the department stores that we all shop at throughout the coarse of our lives. People justify this to themselves that this technology is simply to deter thieves. But, does that give businesses and our government the right to watch over us to ensure that we are doing the right thing? Recently, I had the privilege of flying from Philadelphia to San Francisco four days after the attempted bombing of an American airliner that was bound for Detroit. I remember previously flying into Dulles airport just after 9/11 and seeing military personal patrolling the airport with automatic weapons but was never questioned. This time was more of a show of force with sheer numbers. I was questioned by several TSA personnel and told to spread my legs and lock my hands behind my head while another "official" patted me down. I was informed that I was randomly selected for additional screening. It happened again just before I was about to board the airplane bound for the west coast. I must say that it didn't make me feel any safer that I was the only one patted down again as I was trying to board the airplane. I certainly wasn't trying to smuggle contraband into Humboldt County. According to Orwell, we are being watched by the Thought Police like a beetle under a magnifying glass. In this hauntingly realistic novel, The Ministry of Truth put forth the three tenets of the party: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength. These proclamations are frightening in that they are alive and well within our own government. Our country truly believes that a preemptive strike on a foreign nation can really bring peace. Our version of freedom has rendered many of us useless in that we cannot produce anything that is viable to export to other nations. The educational system in this country has produced an entire culture of ignorance is bliss type mentality. It just seems to me that too many people are all too willing to give up many of their civil liberties for the illusion of safety. Control is another illusion that our government clings too like a shepard desperately looking for his lost sheep. I am all too concerned that complacency has taken over this country long ago and that we, just like Winston Smith, will learn to love Big Brother.