Does the war on terror sound ominously like the state of constant war desribed in George Orwell's "1984"?

Question

Interesting point five star. But here are a few comparisons
1. How will the war on terror ever be won? There will always be more terrorists
2. There have been encroachments on civil liberties both in UK and US since this war started. These have come as a direct result of recent events. The UK however, has known domestic terrorism for many years. Why only act now?
3. Can you concede that the enemy is "invisible" and both governments are encouraging a culture of fear

Tankyou for your excellent response to all of points fivestar. They are all cogent and valid but I feel that we may be talking at slight cross purposes; the main thrust of my argument is that our presnt governments may be exploiting the fear created by trrorism in order to pursue an agenda that may not be solely in the public interest. There is already alot of contoversy surrounding the motivations behind invading Iraq and it could be argued that people who disagree with the president at the moment are being accused of unpatriotic behaviour and is this good for free speech.

A quote from Thomas Jefferson;
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it"

Answer 1

There is a HUGE difference in the war on terror and the police state envisioned by Orwell. The war on terror was NOT a war the US and its allies asked for or wanted. It had no political agenda other than to eliminate the terrorists.

Orwell's entire perspective on the 'future' was bleak because he felt most people would eventually have no say in what their government did or how it acted. Fortunately, that view has not, nor will it ever come to pass, at least in the good old USA.

Jon Baxley
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Addendum:

You added to your question:

1. How will the war on terror ever be won? There will always be more terrorists.

Answer: I'm sure most Russians thought this would be the case as they endured a brutal dictator for more than fifty years in the USSR. However, eventually freedom won out and a pseudo democracy was born. Time has a way of eliminating despots as followers see their 'leaders' eliminated. Witness the demise of Al Zarqawi in Iraq today--one major terrorists gone and his network is in disarray. It takes time and determination to stay the course. The Brits learned this with the IRA.

2. There have been encroachments on civil liberties both in UK and US since this war started. These have come as a direct result of recent events. The UK however, has known domestic terrorism for many years. Why only act now?

Answer: Civil liberties have been FAR too civil and far too liberal in a world where nukes can be carried in a suitcase. The world has come to realize this and has decided they MUST act or face a horrific future. We've never had a terrorist threat that could wipe out an entire city in a nanosecond--that's why action is needed now. Remember, Islamic radicals have hated Christians since the seige of Acre. Hatred dies hard with 1,000 years of history to enflame it.

3. Can you concede that the enemy is "invisible" and both governments are encouraging a culture of fear?

Answer: Apparently, Al Zarqawi thought he was invisible, but he found out otherwise last night. Again, determination is the key to victory. If a culture of fear is needed to galvanize the world, then so be it. A nuke set off in Dublin, Dubai or Dubuque will affect EVERY nation on this planet overnight. Wars, sadly, are no longer the arena of warriors.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FROM June 9:

You added to your question, "...my argument is that our presnt governments may be exploiting the fear...to pursue an agenda that may not be solely in the public interest...and it could be argued that people who disagree with the president...are being accused of unpatriotic behaviour and is this good for free speech.

RESPONSE:

Free speech dictates that we who elect our officials should ALWAYS question what they are doing and why. After all, they work for us. One has to draw the line, however, when dolts like Cindi Sheehan and the 911 Widows are used as mouthpieces for a liberal cause that has lost its political will and agenda and gone on to pursue pure hate rhetoric, no matter the cause, no matter the outcome. That is extremely dangerous in a time when any city on the planet is vulnerable to a catastrophic event.

Are both these methods scare tactics? Of course. The right (conservatives) are trying to scare people into reality. The left (liberals) are doing just the opposite--trying to scream their point across that the ends do not justify the means. To bend your Jefferson quote a bit, I would answer, "I much prefer exposure to political rhetoric than gamma rays."

Answer 2

Excellent question! I read this book in high school because of the title 1984 being my birth year. I haven't read it since I became actively interested in politics. I will reread it now.

Fivestarauthor said: Orwell's entire perspective on the 'future' was bleak because he felt most people would eventually have no say in what their government did or how it acted.

That is exactly how I, and I think many other Americans, feel right now. I don't really feel *represented* by my government. I do feel like the war on terrorism will be a state of constant war. Because it is such a broad enemy, it will be a long, uphill battle.

I am not saying that I think the war on terrorism is unnecessary, just being mishandled. I think that everyone, not just in the US but the entire world, needs to form some type of unity to be able to ever combat this problem.

Answer 3

i tried to think of an answer for this but living in a country that is always been at war with terrorists inside it self were we never been in actual civil war but since before i was born we where at war , i just don't see how you can compare UK and US to a state of constant war

Answer 4

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
- Sam Kinison

A copy/paste of a joke I received this morning........can't answer your Q !!:-)