Big Brother is watching...

oops listening

What rights do we still have in the age of the telecommunication and the Internet???

The National Security Agency (NSA), has been secretly collecting the phone records of tens of

millions of Americans. This data was provided by communication moguls like AT&T, Verizon and

BellSouth. These invasions should concern the entire American nation. The author of the above cartoon

is trying to foster national discussion about the destruction of civil liberties, and also warn the

American public about what the administration is doing behind your backs!!

Historically the regulation of government surveillance began with the Fourth Amendment,

which says: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against

unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon

probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched,

and the persons or things to be seized.”

This amendment came to life so it would protect the American people from being searched without

proper justification and to ensure proper minimization of the search. Even though this amendment still

lives, the new century faces a problem. With the development of technology, it became easy to avoid

physical search while still getting personal information.

Mike Keefe uses a visual opposition to show his distress. He has been the editorial cartoonist

for The Denver Post since 1975. Throughout the nineties he was a weekly contributor to USA Today

and a regular on America Online. Nationally syndicated, his cartoons have appeared in Europe, Asia

and in most major U.S. news magazines and hundreds of newspapers across the country. He has won

top honors in the Fischetti, National Headliners Club, Society of Professional Journalists and Best of

the West contests. Keefe is the author of the books Running Awry, Keefe-Kebab and The Ten-Speed

Commandments. He was co-creator (with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cartoonist Tim Menees) of the

nationally-syndicated comic strips, Cooper and Iota.

Working at the Denver Post with more than 20 years experience is what gives Keefe his

experience to form opinions that audiences listen and respond to. Keefe’s personal credibility is

unquestioned; and his reputation of speaking out has earned him much appreciation from the crowds he

has touched. This time, as in the past, he is here on your defense, to teach you about the warrantless

surveillance, which including calls of ordinary Americans. This collecting spirit has reached even the

Statue of the Liberty, depicted in the cartoon.

The cartoonist's intention is to draw attention to the unlawful actions of the NSA as they collect

`intelligence` in the name of The War On Terror. These actions indicate a pervasive attitude of keeping

all residents under a permanent vale of surveillance. The intended audience for the cartoon would be

the American nation, but it could also teach a lesson to someone who is impressed and influenced by

the rights and freedom of US residents.

The reason this cartoon can be so dramatic is because the inherent force of the American nation

exists in these rights, civil liberties. And what is vitally important are the symbols of these values
which is depicted by the Statue of the Liberty itself. This is what makes his visual argument so

powerful. It is not only a fear based on fiction, it is the “bloody” reality he draws for us. The message is

clear, the NSA is treading on the right of everyday people, and the agency will not baulk at using all the

tools available. America, as a proud nation, cannot leave this without a word. If the civil liberties are

lost all the battles fought for freedom is lost too.

The strength of the cartoon is definitely the visual side, but of course the text also contributes to

it. In this issue the image helps to influence the understanding better. The visual rhetoric clearly effects

the emotions of the audience. It must touch their hearts and harbor the greatest fear they need to face ,

the loss of independence and freedom. This opinion so strongly appears on the picture there is no need

to explain it with many words. The cartoon is enhanced by its language; it is elementary and easily

understood by its intended audience, which presumably gets involved on a wide range of the societal

issues. The visual and oral applied forms strengthen each other, which helps the author to reach the

intended effect on the audience.

The movement of the Statue of Liberty with the broken tablet of Civil Liberties is the most

telling. This movement, so emphasized, draws the eye looking at the microphone and the broken stone

tablet. As you follow this dynamic motion, your eyes finally find the only oral comment of the picture,

which is when you probably formed your first impression about the cartoon. When your eyes

unconsciously focus on the entire picture you discover the menacing black cloud spreading toward the

statue. The effect is simple: It is threatening! The author leaves it to us to decide the nature of this

threat. As the genre is a cartoon, it does use the characteristics of a caricature. The figures do not seem

idealized, more like trying to impersonate two most average ordinary citizens talking with each other.

Wiretapping has a long history but is now entering into a new era. Who are these agencies

fighting against in the war on terror?? The President is the Commander in chief of the military. Does

that give him the power to spy on citizens in their homes without any approval from the courts??

No matter how these issues are addressed in the form of an article, or in this case as an effective
cartoon, people need to listen and take it serious. You got the lesson; keep your right to say, “My house

is my castle.” The rest lies on us, be alert to what the administration allows themselves to do, and think

critically about whose interest they are serving.