It's 1984

Wake Up (It's 1984)
Artist(Band):Oingo Boingo


Wake up! won't you listen to me
Wake up! won't you listen to me
won't you listen to me
Wake up! won't you listen to me
Wake up! won't you listen to me
won't you listen to me

Big brother's watching, we watch him back
We see right through his disguise
He tries to scare us, with angry words
But we all know that they're lies
Whole world is waiting
Just see the fear in their eyes

Whole world is watching, observing every move
Is it beginning or the end?
Just like a chess game, but so intense
That I just don't understand
Anticipation
It's much to big to pretend

CHORUS
(Wake up), it's 1984
(Wake up), but we've been here before
(Wake up), it's 1984
(Wake up), but we've been here before, (here before)

Big brother's screaming but we don't care
Cause he's got nothing to say
Think of the future, think of the prophecy
Think of the children of today
Big brother's marching
So we all stand in his way
Open your eyes, sisters and brothers
Neatly disguised, so far away
Open your heart, try to remember
Two worlds apart, but so close

(Wake up), it's 1984
But we've been here before
(Wake up), it's 1984
But we've been here before
All our lives leading up to this day, watching and waiting

Wake up! Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up!

Open your eyes, sisters and brothers
Neatly disguised, so far away
Open your heart, try to remember
Two worlds apart, but so close

CHORUS

Whole world is watching
Anticipating
Big brother's marching
Is it beginning or the end?

CHORUS

I thought I would post the lyrics to this song. Mainly because I had a Big Brother event happen recently and I am still not sure what to feel or what to think.

Actually, I know exactly how I feel and what I think about it, I am just not sure if how I feel is how I "should" feel. What I am is enraged. What I am doing is gritting my teeth and pretending what happened was perfectly normal.

This is a local issue, but it is also one of state, national and international proportions if you follow the chain of command on down the line.  Here's the story as briefly as I can make it for you.

This is a small town. It has about 2400 residents. I don't actually live in the city limits though. I live 9 miles outside of the city, way out in BF Egypt.  I have a small service business here, it's located in my home. I do business all over this end of the county, including inside the city limits.

The city recently hired a new building inspector because the old one was fired for telling someone their property was condemned because it was sliding down a hillside and there was no stopping that from happening. The owner got pissed and went storming down to city hall and the whole crux of the matter was, the honest building inspector was fired and a new one was hired (eventually, it took time to find one who would take on the job).

For some reason (I am sure it's a valid one) the building inspector is also in charge of business licenses being current for business owners in town.  He is also in charge of all signage and whatever as pertains to people doing business in town.

So Friday, I am in the middle of a job and I get a call on my cell. It's City Hall calling. This is not so unusual, they call me out to do work for them frequently. It's the city clerk (she takes all your checks made out to the city and gives you your receipts and them eventually sends you whatever form or license you just paid for).  She wants to know when I am going to come pay for my 2004 city business license. She says that if I do not come down and pay it, they are going to fine me or shut me down or whatever until I do pay it. I say to her, I am so sorry, things have been tight this year, business has been way down and I have not had that extra $50 to get a license. 

Then I say, "you know, I am not located in the city limits, I am not actually forced to have a business license in the city of Eureka Springs, I just do it to appear more professional and legitimate to my customers." I continue with "are you telling me that I cannot do business in Eureka without a license even though I am not physically located there, nor is 100% of my work performed there?".  She says, "Oh? I guess, ummm, yes you do."

I return with "are you telling me that as a service business, located outside of the city limits of Eureka, that no matter what, if I come inside Eureka city limits I must have a license? Even if say, I am coming over from Berryville, or Harrison or maybe even flew in here to do consulting from New York City with a resident or business owner located within Eureka city limits that I must have this business license no matter what to conduct business here or I am breaking the law?"  She says "Uh, let me transfer you to "insert woman's name here".

I get this woman on the phone, I ask her my question, I add "so if I call the Sears washing machine repair man in from Harrison and he works on my machine that is located here in the city limits, he must have a Eureka Springs City Business license?" She says, "let me let you talk to the building inspector." Didn't take long to get to the top now did it? And I didn't even have to ask for him.

I ask my question, he says "You must have a business license to do business here in Eureka Springs, if I catch you out working somewhere without on I will issue you a citation and fine you."  I respond with "And if you catch an interior decorating consultant from Chicago here in town at say, the Inn of the Ozarks decorating guest rooms there, you are going to insist she also have a license to do business here in Eureka before you will let her continue her contracted job with Randy?" He says "Yes." I say, "I see, ok then, if that's the law, that's the law. I just thought I was being a good business owner having a city license when I didn't need one. Apparently I have just been being legal in the past. Good to know that in every past year I have always been legal until this one."

So he says he will wave any late fee penalties if I come in today and get my license renewed. I say, "gosh thanks, I sure appreciate that Sir", and like a good little citizen business owner, I dutifully go down and do as he has instructed.

Now mind you, I am feeling a little pissed. See, it was almost May, almost 5 months into the new year. Two weeks ago, my face was in the paper being quoted on how I felt about the new building inspector and his job performance so far. In the interview I say he is a big city guy and he needs to chill out some. Two weeks later, I get this phone call. I am thinking, could be coincidence or it could be "get even" time. How am I to know? I never will.

I have told a few people about this incident, they all say the same thing, you need to get a lawyer and find out if they have the right to threaten anyone who does business with Eureka city limits (even if not physically located there) with fines and take away your ability to work inside the city limits. I think what got to me was the cold threat that came out of his mouth. It was so, (how do I put this?), calculatingly bureaucratic.

What really got to me was this: here's another rule, lots and lots of rules here in Eureka Springs. So many rules have been passed in the last few years that you can barely take a shit inside the city limits without infringing on one. Rules to make you comply with some things that are actually silly.  Some of the rules are ones they had to pass in order to comply with state, national and international rules and regulations. It's looking more and more like the big city I left behind. More and more like the things I no longer wanted to have to deal with that were soul stealing and cause undo burden on people.

I liked it here cause there weren't a whole lot of rules. But in the last 3 years, the rules have grown exponentially. To have someone threaten my livelihood over a rule I didn't know existed just pissed me off.  Today I was thinking that the white man is taking away our way of life here. I have news for whitie, we don't need no stinking rules of his coming in here and telling us how to live or else. Or else what asshole? You'll see to it that I lose my home cause I can't make the mortgage payment cause you shut me down?

I can't stop big city assholes from coming in here and trying to make us all conform to their idea of how things should be done, but I sure don't have to be verbally threatened by them.

Kiss my ass big brother!