We all know that he's out there somewhere.
Watching, thinking, waiting patiently as we go about our daily lives. For most of us, he never directly affects us. For others, they can never escape from him. In either situation, everyone feels some sort of fallout or pressure from his staring eyes. Try as we might - we live under his control.
He is Big Brother.
Big Brother, alternatively known as the U.S. government, suffered a blow yesterday when a U.S. district judge ruled against a section of the Patriot Act that allowed the FBI to force Internet service providers and phone companies to turn over customer records. The companies are then forbidden from saying that such a search ever took place.
Bet you didn't know that your government could do that, did you?
Well, they could; up until yesterday, at least.
This is just one example of the issues, debates, conversations and actions that take place inside our government which often time never make it to the public eye.
The largest example: the post-Sept. 11 excitement that spurred the U.S. Patriot Act.
The act was printed, distributed in the middle on a late-2001 night; "secretly" passed into effect before most congressional represenatives had a chance to read it.
They may be at it again, too.
Bill HR 163, currently pending in the house and senate, could possibly reinstate the draft in the coming years. It is currently being pushed through the legislative process while the public's attention is on the election.
This sort of tactic is used all the time, the difference is in whether Americans find out about it or not.
It is the same reason why many businesses, including the government, wait until 5 p.m. Friday to release big news stories with little-to-no positive value.
They want to be able to say they said it without anyone having ever heard it. As citizens, we have to be critical of the government that controls our lives, our laws and our culture. Otherwise, we let the system fail us.
So - speak up, pay attention and keep tabs on your elected officials.
And in the meanwhile, he'll be there: watching, waiting and thinking...
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