The new programs implemented by President Bush in order to protect Americans and discourage terrorist behavior have made evident the similarities between modern American society and Orwellian socialism as described in 1984. The Patriot Act has been the most significant of these post-9/11 measures. Americans' fear of economic decline and terrorist activity has allowed the government nearly free reign to disrupt the delicate system of checks and balances, expand their powers of surveillance and to declare war.

With the swift enactment of the Patriot Act, the government took the first significant step towards an Orwellian society. On October 6th, 2001 assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh proposed an act that would make sweeping changes to over 15 different statutes (EFF1); allow for an extreme expansion of surveillance of the American public (ACLU 3), increase the authority of the executive branch (Herman 4), and a grant of never before seen war powers. Originally, many congressmen...