Mark Lerner: A SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY OR A FREE SOCIETY?

"The Big Question - should government control the people or should the people control government?

"Orwell’s prediction of a future big brother government came true. Whether acknowledged or not, Americans now live in a surveillance society.

"Most of that American public falls into one of the categories the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calls 'potential threats:' environmentalists, animal lovers, anti-war protestors, pro-lifers, evangelical Christians, observant Jews, Constitutionalists, returning veterans, and third party candidate supporters are all 'potential domestic terrorists.'

"Just how far is the American public willing to let the government go in order to assure public safety? Do the people want the police on every block, all emails read by the government, phone calls overheard, or every financial transaction monitored? Do the people want sensors placed in cities that detect how much an individual perspires, in order to assess and monitor supposed guilt?

"How about computer software programs that decide whether or not the way people walk or dress presents a threat to the government? In Britain citizens are captured on surveillance cameras an average of 300 times a day; does the American public want to be subjected to this level of scrutiny?"