Big Brother Is Watching You

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I promise to stop making Orwell references when the Bush Administration stops using 1984 as their political playbook. From Salon's War Room, (the Sun-Times link isn't working):

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, just prior to the public opening of "Axis of Evil, the Secret History of Sin" at Columbia College's Glass Curtain Gallery, the agents arrived and took pictures of some of the art pieces -- including "Patriot Act," showing President Bush on a mock 37-cent stamp with a revolver pointed at his head. (See the Sun-Times link for the visual.)

The agents reportedly inquired as to what the artists "meant by their work" -- perhaps taking care of due diligence while also dispensing with the cost of the audio tour. But what came next starts to look more reflective of the aforementioned work's title, and how expression of dissent is treated in America under the Bush administration. According to the Sun-Times, the agents also wanted museum director CarolAnn Brown to turn over the names and phone numbers of all the artists. And, she said, they wanted to hear from the exhibit's curator, Michael Hernandez deLuna, within 24 hours.

Are the artists going to be shipped off to Guantanamo? Shall I prepare my copy of The Catcher in the Rye for an old-school book burning? Stay tuned for updates on our descent into fascism...