Big Brother & Pynchon

[joeallonby]

on 4/30/04 3:04 PM, neoclassical at mail.com at neoclassical at mail.com wrote:

>> Next to the tag number, police will have a picture of
>> the driver, taken with another set of cameras —
>> upgraded versions of the standard surveillance cameras
>> already in place.
> 
> How can you be against this? It preserves the freedom and equal liberty of
> every citizen in America. Further, it empowers the good citizens of this town
> to achieve the American dream!

And cops can look up the phone numbers of hot chicks!
> 
> Huxley is more important than Orwell :) in that ultimately, the authoritarian
> state of the future will be gratefully selected by its population.
> 
Hasn't it always been that way? Trading individual freedom for stability?
"We need a strong leader!" Monarchy, fascism, and communism as it has been
practiced by large nations require a cult of personality. Nationalist
movements are often fiercely patriotic AND authoritarian. The neo-communists
and neo-fascists of Eastern Europe are nostalgic for the stability of the
bipolar distribution of power of the cold war.

Jefferson & co were making a huge leap in the eighteen century. It was a
leap of faith. They had faith in us. Sounds like you want to let them down.