Column: Liberally Speaking
The past few weeks have been a much-needed time off from the stresses of school for me. There was not a lot to worry about over the break, so relaxing became my activity of choice. Other than an occasional trip to the movies or dinner, reading became the perfect way to pass the time. While I was browsing through my collection of books, I stumbled upon George Orwell’s classic “1984.” Without any hesitation, I began reading.
About halfway through the book, I set it down and walked upstairs where CNN was on TV. The main story of the day was that President Bush had admitted to personally authorizing 30 or more eavesdropping programs since the Sept. 11 attacks and he plans to continue these programs despite heavy criticism over the violation of the American rights of privacy.
I was speechless. The leader of our country is actually spying on American citizens? Not only that, but he plans to continue spying as long as he is in office. This was shocking to me. Is our own president really eavesdropping on the people of his own country? How can this be allowed in America? Maybe in those other corrupt countries, but not in America, right?
Well, I brushed it off and picked up “1984” and continued reading. “1984” was actually published in 1949 and was a prediction by Orwell as to what life would be like in the year 1984. In the novel, Orwell writes of a fictional system known as Big Brother which keeps a close eye on the people of the society. Big Brother spies on citizens and steps in if people aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing.
The relativity of Orwell’s novel to what is going on today is chillingly clear. President Bush and his cabinet are spying on the citizens of a free-thinking nation. This abuse of power is something that must be stopped immediately. Activities like this are what we are trying to correct around the world. Isn’t America supposed to be an example of freedom? Aren’t we supposed to be showing other countries examples of ethics and morality by the actions of our government? What kind of message are we sending the rest of the world when our own president is spying on the country that put him in office?
If we, as American citizens, stand by and let our privacy be taken from us, what is next? What does the future hold for a country whose citizens are being watched by corrupt men? Maybe Orwell’s Big Brother is more of a reality than we once thought. Maybe the predictions made by Orwell came just a couple decades early.
Adam Strong is a sophomore majoring in business. Comments can be sent to adamstrong@cc.usu.edu.