From the Other Side of the Edge….
Big Brother’s Indignation….
By Joe Facinoli 

1984 came and went twenty nine years ago.  

George Orwell died sixty three years ago. 

But “Big Brother” is alive and well. 

He’s not some futuristic concept anymore.    He’s not down the road, on the way, nor even just around the corner.
  
He’s here, and he’s sitting at your table, and he’s already eaten your lunch, and wanting to know what’s for dinner. 

And He’s pissed.  

He can’t believe that a bunch of totally unappreciative, disrespectful inferiors are questioning Him, and the things He does to protect them, and to care for them, and to look out for their best interests.    Things that only He knows how and when to do.

He’s annoyed that people still ask questions about some minor fracas in Libya, that “happened a long time ago”, He Himself wanting to know “What difference does that make now?” ….anyway.  

He’s aggravated that He can’t just check out people’s emails, especially those ingrates in the media, without more of those ridiculous questions, and His subjects going ballistic, and waving their arms wildly and making a big fuss, all over a few damn pieces of simple correspondence, which they had no business writing in the first place, …..for the love of pigs.  

And He’s more than a bit irritated that any one of His lessers would dare raise a wretched little hand, regarding that slam dunk decision (5 to 4) by the highest, propped up, judicial body in his land, which now will allow His loyal police forces to arbitrarily take DNA samples from His subjects, before they are ever convicted of anything.  

It’s for the “greater good”, doncha see?  

“If we can save one life”,…and all that.    Personal liberty?    Privacy?    Individual freedoms?    All sooo bothersome.  

“He”, in all His glory, wonderment, eminence, majesty, and magnificence, is not just one person, but the personification of an all-powerful, all knowing, totally intrusive and controlling entity, which allows one figurehead as its “front man”, or woman, and gives off the alluring illusion that it (He) will care for its (His) people in all ways, and in every facet of their lives.  

And all they have to do is let Him.    And if they don’t, ….well,….then there will be consequences.   Fair ones,……of course.     Any examples from history come to mind?  

He really gets hacked when people from the far reaches of His vast dominion, those who still quote from some “archaic” document from a long ago era, and who may drink a little “tea” while discussing these remembrances, have the audacity to bring any doubt as to His authority to appoint as many local leaders (He appropriately calls them “czars”) as He chooses, to lord over as many departments as He may opt, for use in “controlling” His galling liege of pathetic humanity.  

And He is further irked, and annoyed some more, when those same nuisance denizens of that far right region of His map, put up some stink for having their financial doings investigated in minute detail by His loyal, but slightly overzealous, minions at the IRS, for no other reason than their opposition to His policies.   

He can’t quite understand, …..why the big deal?    I mean, He apologized didn’t He?   And one of the “local leaders” retired, yes?     So all good now, right?  

But He really, really got furious with us (…us?  …have I given in to this already?  …at least subconsciously?), when we found out about His big secret plan to look at all our phone records, credit card purchases, and our internet usage, for any patterns that might be suspicious, and might have any tendencies towards “terrorism”.  

He was totally ticked off, and absolutely indignant.  

Why should “we” have to know about any of that??!!    Don’t “we” trust Him??   He’d never lie to us, right?   Has He ever?    Ok, He realizes quickly, maybe He shouldn’t go there.   

But “we” elected Him (in all His forms), correct?   So, He bellows, leave Him alone to do the things “we” asked him to do (did we ask Him to do them?).   just

He (actually it was a “she” this time, from a nether region, called California) actually was so hot under the collar that He called for another investigation.   This one to look into (or more accurately, to get) the person who revealed this big, oh so secret, ultra-too complicated for “us” to understand, anti-terrorism protection scheme, for all the grateful people of the grand land.  

Hmmm…..    No investigation into the completely over-stepping of all Constitutional provisions regarding privacy, and individual control of one’s life?  

Only an investigation of the person who revealed these travesties, and the grabbing of strictly personal information, which the same Constitution guarantees can’t be had by others, especially a government, without proper, and public, legal procedures being put in place??

And when found out, no contrition from our Big Brother, only outrage, indignation, and aggravation that all His hard work, trampling so well, and so clandestinely, on virtually all our freedoms, for the “greater good” (read:  the “good” of whatever government agency held the most power over a given situation) had all gone down the drain?   

It’s never a question, for Big Brother, as to whether it’s right or wrong, or whether any rights were violated, or any civil liberties compromised.   It’s only about how much “staying power” an issue will have, within the current “news cycle”, and when it will be forgotten, and just fade away.  

The Truth….be damned.  

Terrorism.    It’s the new touch word.    The new “third rail”.    The “catch all” which fixes and collects all problematic issues which Big Brother can’t put anywhere else.  

If you dare question that, or go against anything that supposedly fights it, then you are “unpatriotic”, or even, “un-American”.    Better to trust the intent of some misguided agency, to use it as their reason for operating a certain way, and for why they’re taking away more of your individual liberties, purely on their own authority.

So B.B. is caught red handed.   And yet, He is infuriated, and “we” are supposed to be the ones who are sorry.    How does that work??

Maybe because it’s like when He was much younger, and His parents found the bike that He hid, the one He wasn’t supposed to ever ride without their permission, and now He was mad because He had to come clean, and He wouldn’t have his favorite toy anymore?   

And He thought His parents should be sorry because they messed up His life?    Something like that.   

What we got, by way of explanation, was something about a “United Front” of government, and that all His recently discovered covert policies on terrorism were reviewed by a “robust legal regime”.    Now I feel better!

And further, that we just “can’t have 100% privacy, 100% security, and 0% inconvenience”.    

Here’s a thought:   how ‘bout if We decide “which is right, and which is an illusion”.    (Hmm… a Moody Blues lyric, in reference to a complex Constitutional issue, …..talk about a juxtaposition!)

In the very difficult choice of Privacy vs. Security, in the big picture, and even in individual lives,……Privacy has to win, every time, if we are truly to be free.  

(Joe can be reached at:  joefacinoli@gmail.com )

Intelligent Response Encouraged !!

© Copyright 2013, Joe Facinoli