It’s an eye-opening story about taking control of the technology, surveillance, personal freedoms in the post-911 world and, last but not least, teen angst. Made me wish I was 20 years younger. Or that my daughters were 10 years older – so I could make them read it.

I really liked it a lot, and apart from the fact that I can’t stop telling everyone I know about it, it inspired me to make a nice wallpaper image for all the techno-paranoid iPhone owners out there.

And of course, keeping in the spirit of Little Brother’s CC license, you’re free to remix it, play with it and pass it along.

Bin Laden, the invisible “Terrorist”, against which any and every measure is taken, at the cost of its eventual victim’s very freedom? The uncatchable evil ghost, forever in the shadows, a hundred years past his natural lifespan. Emmanuel Goldstein? Tell me it doesn’t ring a bell.

They say Orwell only had the dates wrong.

And how about the poor bastard they trotted out of Guantanamo Bay, after some 4 years of «rendering» and special treatments ? From Guantanamo Bay. Where they don’t let you sleep for days in refrigerated cells with no clothes and loud blaring music.

Do you know what stress positions are? What they do to you? Well, in this case it seems they kept at it long enough: This is the guy who plotted it all! He confessed to plotting 9/11, the Shoe Bomber, killing the Pope, and the destruction and bombing of some 20 to 30 buildings, bridges and whatever else.

Those crazy americans seemed SO proud. They had his picture in every paper. Fat guy, with a big fat moustache, hair all messed up, looking pissed. Of course, it was a picture taken when he was arrested. Before those days, nights, weeks, months, YEARS of special treatments. (To be precise, he spent six months in Guantanamo Bay. What? The rest in a schoolyard?) I wonder what he looks like now. Do you think he’s still FAT?

Doesn’t anyone remember room 101?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me paying attention.

…

And here’s a few more related links :

Wikipedia: Emmanuel Goldstein

Wikipedia: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Democracy Arsenal : Khalid Sheikh Mohamed
(This one’s got links to toe PDF transcriptof his recent hearing. Interesting read.)