I just watched Enemy of the State for the first time in years, and I was stunned.  If you've never seen it, you probably should.  It stars Will Smith and is directed by Tony Scott.

The movie tells the story of a lawyer whose life goes totally wrong when he comes into possession of an incriminating videotape that the National Security Agency wants.  The real star of the film is the NSA's surveillance techonology.  

What I thought was paranoid and a bit far-fetched when the movie was first released in 1998, I found shockingly realistic in our post-9/11 world.

How gradually have the things we take for granted become the instruments for our possible undoing.  Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not a paranoid type.  While it means a lot to me, my life is basically unexceptional and I'm sure I'm not worthy of notice by the NSA.

However, if they wanted to, don't I think they can track me everywhere using the cell phone I constantly carry in my pocket?  Don't I think they can use my IP address to track my every movement online?   Don't I think they can use the EZ pass on my windshield to follow my car wherever it goes?  Don't I think they can use my social security number to access all my financial accounts?  Don't I think they can shut off the credit card and debit card that I use for almost every purchase?

My point is not to scare myself, but to be realistic.  We already live in a surveillance society, and we have allowed it to be imposed on us willingly by accepting the technology of convenience.

So the obvious question is this:  what do we do about it now that it's here?