Permanent War and the Surveillance State: A Package Deal?

An important event is taking place ten days from now in Chicago -- Our Democracy in Crisis: The Rise of the Total Surveillance State and the War on a Free Press -- and I intend to be there.

The event will feature Free Press co-founder Prof. Robert W. McChesney, journalist John Nichols, NLG Executive Director Heidi Boghosian, and educator/author/activist Prof. Robert Jensen. The event takes place 7:30 p.m. on August 29 at North Park University and is sponsored by Chicago Area Peace Action.

I already know what my question is going to be:

(A) Is the surveillance state really just a support system for permanent war?

. . . OR . . .

(B) Is permanent war really just an excuse for having a surveillance state?

. . . OR . . .

(C) Are permanent war and the surveillance state complementary 
and mutually supporting constructs? 

. . . OR . . .

(D) Are permanent war and the surveillance state functionally independent?

Permanent war and the surveillance state: Can we hope to deal with one without dealing with the other?


See you on August 29th . . . .