Now those peace marches will be a real pain

One of the basic tenets of the United States Constitution is the right to dissent. The old men (most of them younger then than I am now) who crafted the document lived in a far less stable time. And yet – forged from the old-world attitudes of Europe – they still saw how wise it was not to restrict the free flow of ideas.

As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The constitutions of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property and freedom of the press.”

So, now comes news from NewScientist.com about a weapon that … well, the significance is pretty obvious.(By the way, if you have trouble accessing the site, be patient. It seems to crash easily.)

In any event, it reminds me of something straight out of George Orwell’s novel “1984,” the best version of which – though Orwell goes uncredited – is Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film “Brazil.”