When we created Little Brother is Watching, we had two goals in mind. Firstly, we wanted to raise public awareness of the Presidents covert use of wiretaps without a clear system of verification. And secondly, we wanted to accelerate public dialogue around the issue.
Based on Friday’s lively debate on Boston.com, we feel we are off to a good start. Regardless of the outcome of the proposals before Congress, the Executive branch has not been able to sweep this issue aside. And, while we take no credit for that, we are proud to have done our small part in moving the debate forward.
Now, regarding the tenor of the postings sent to us directly, and on Boston.com. To all the people who challenged us and called the people behind Little Brother traitors or cowards, who are somehow betraying the United States by questioning the wiretaps, we can only quote another Bostonian, John Adams, and say, "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty."
That is advice we will follow, no matter the party in power. Citizenship is not blind faith; with Little Brother Is Watching, we are simply exercising our rights and obligations. We are surprised that some people have claimed that by creating this debate we have somehow, to quote, "given comfort to the enemy." Now, putting aside the absurdity that a web-site and billboard in Boston can somehow be having a positive impact with terrorists in the wilds of Pakistan or in some deep cover cell, we believe our freedom to protest and the openness of this discussion is actually America's greatest weapon in the fight against fundamentalist totalitarianism.
Put simply, we call on you to celebrate the argument. For if we stifle this freedom of thought, if we snuff out the openness of our public dialogue, and if blindly accept every decision our government makes, then, as a society, we really will lose.
