'1984' in 2007? Ask Ex-White House, Hill aides Bob Weiner and John Larmett; Congress Should Follow Oregon Federal Court's Lead and Say 'NO;' oped in Oregonian today
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Is George Orwell's '1984' happening today? "Congress should follow an Oregon federal court's lead and say 'No' to "1984" in 2007," former Clinton White House aide Bob Weiner and Senate aide John Larmett argue in an oped in today's Oregonian, "Orwell in 2007."
A former Clinton White House Public Affairs Director, Weiner, and Larmett, who was Judiciary Legislative Assistant to Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and legislative assistant to Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), assert that portions of "1984," Orwell's novel about a theoretical modern-day government with absolute power -- a state in which government monitors and controls every aspect of human life -- "are happening right now in 2007."
Weiner and Larmett point out, "There are parallels between the theoretical state controlled by the Party Orwell portrays and real America today. In '1984,' giant telescreens in every room monitor behavior. Individuals are encouraged to spy on one another, even children on their parents, and report any disloyalty to the Party. Today, signs along Interstate Highways urge, 'Report Suspicious Behavior;' and cameras mounted at strategic locations monitor our everyday movement. Red, yellow and orange are no longer just pretty colors -- they represent security alerts. Despite the doublespeak -- as in '1984' -- of today's 'Patriot Act,' people are told they are "unpatriotic" to oppose what they believe to be un-American provisions of the bill."
"Last month an Oregon federal judge ruled that crucial parts of the Patriot Act are unconstitutional because they allow federal surveillance and searches of American citizens without demonstrating probable cause. Also last month, a New York U.S. District Judge ordered the FBI to stop secretly obtaining e-mail and telephone data without first securing a warrant -- what he called 'the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering with an ominous free pass to the hijacking of constitutional values.'"
Weiner and Larmett note, "Congress is now revisiting the legality of the Patriot Act, warrantless surveillance programs, torture of prisoners in secret prisons, and barring detainees from counsel. In the next few months, Congress must renew, change, or sunset these programs. Congress must act or the courts should permanently strike down these presidential fear-based abuses."
Source: Robert Weiner Associates
'1984' in 2007? Ex-White House Aides Say Parallels are DisturbingSalem-News.com