We are a scared nation. September 11, 2001 [note: link removed for http://www.september11news.com/ because it is now 403 Forbidden] trapped America in one tightly-watched nightmare. Many just want to forget about it, so we easily put it all on the shoulders of our president. When are we going to wake up, and what will the world be like when we finally do?

A radio show on my drive back to Austin discussed a news story about an outraged retired college professor. Homeland Security opened and inspected a letter to the professor from a friend in the Philippines. The government sealed the letter back with a congratulatory Homeland Security sticker before allowing it to be delivered, but the professor felt he was violated by the government. The radio host’s commentary shocked me when he said he would prefer that the government did these things without telling us. Claiming many former administrations exercised similar powers without our knowledge, the host argued we were better off not oblivious to such injustices unless they led to an arrest.

Wake up, America! President George W. Bush listens to our phone conversations, opens our mail and tracks our email. Current controversy about the legality of government phone taps is only part of the issue. Are we so unconcerned with our future freedoms that we will let President Bush do anything his administration desires?

It’s not a dream anymore. Terrorism took more than two towers; it took our privacy. If any suspicious American must be constantly monitored and watched to assess threats to the United States, haven’t the terrorists changed our way of life enough to put one in the win column? The tension, the fear, the high security and the hurt should lessen at some point in most engagements. When will it if President Bush keeps us all so tightly wound and secured?

We are outraged when protests discouraging freedom of speech break out in the Middle East–no welcome place for cartoonists–but we are not protesting as Bush strips our freedoms from all Americans. We have Big Brother for a president. It’s not 1984 yet, but we could soon be getting assigned numbers and tracking chips if we stay indifferent.

Someday, we will all come out of this dreamy state and want our lives of freedom back. Five years after 9-11, we need to stop living in fear and become productive citizens again. We need to stand tall and take back responsibility for our country.

Technorati tag: 9-11, 1984, Bush, privacy, freedom.

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