Big Brother on I-235, I-80 and I-35; Coincidence or a sense of humor?

George Orwell wrote a book that was later turned into a movie. The title is Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the book, written in 1949 the thought police control society not so much for what they have done, but for what they are thinking. What we have is a police state trying to control the population by discovering and then reeducating (or eradicating) those who think in ways contrary to the wishes of the controlling and powerful few.

If I remember the sequence of 1984 the more the powerful minority take from society the larger is the population of those who are not a part of the success equation (the elderly, the poor, the powerless and the disenfranchised). The less hope this latter group has of achieving success the more disgruntled they become. There comes a point in time when the disgruntled group starts to rebel and as the rebellion grows it becomes more aggressive and less law abiding. As the disgruntled group grows in size and activity the more it costs the elitist group to control them. At this point the elitist group has to expend more capital, time and are committing more resources than they find desirable. The controlling few will then become the aggressors who will use any means to control the masses. The elite few now the aggressors will find it necessary to root out those who simply think different or may be a threat to those holding all the cards.  It is at this point that the thought police become a reality. And that is where surveillance, 24/7/365, is an important tool of the powerful few. Surveillance is their tool of choice, because after all, film doesn't lie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rBDUJTnNU

On I-235, I-80, I-5 and I-35 there are 84 "traffic" cameras in central Iowa positioned to record the activities of citizens. Follow the link and click on a camera. Every minute the still image shown on the Internet is updated to a new frame. Remember there are two cameras at each location; north-south and east-west.

Did the Iowa DOT use 84 cameras by mistake; or are they trying to send a message; or does someone have a sense of humor?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV3jgYHvTmk

And the point of all of this is? A two-car crash on I-235 near 73^rd Street in West Des Moines tied up traffic at 3:45 PM on April 8, 2010. The occupants were not described nor their names divulged.  I wonder how long the images are kept on file and whether there is video tape of the entire sequence of the collision? These are the things that keep trial lawyers stay awake at night.