Foucault identified an underlying control imperative, a kind of hidden foundation beneath every aspect of modern society, from the design of prisons to information systems to medical research.
I suggest that primal fear of the unknown and the knowable underlies even the control imperative.
Here's what's happening in "law enforcement." "FBI may begin spying on citizens without any basis for suspicion."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20574.htm
If this follows normal protocol the new rules will codify activities already in place, giving those activities the semblance of a legal basis. Then, if nothing happens and as people become used to living with the intrusion, the tentacles will expand again, reaching further into people's lives.
I suppose the ultimate control would be an embedded "thought chip" that would record each person's thoughts in a database that could be reviewed at will. Then, if you want to know what some guy or gal thinks of you, just look it up. Of course if "you" are Government and you are paranoid, then knowing what someone thinks of you might just matter to you.
Freedom of speech is being constrained. The real concern is freedom of thought.
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