Last year I wrote a column you may want to re-read.

I noted that "Privacy has become an anachronism. The privacy the founding fathers so cherished is now merely a footnote in history (that is, in those classes where pre-20th century history is even taught)." The response from readers was extraordinary (and that was long before WorldNetDaily was getting millions of daily readers). The stated goals of the one-world-globalist-bastards are being achieved through methodical, consistent incrementalism.

When I introduced WorldNetDaily to Echelon, I wrote, "This system is called ECHELON, and has been kicking around in some form longer than I have. The result of the UKUSA treaty signed by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand was, and is, to have a vast global intelligence monster which allegedly shares common goals. The system is so 'efficient' that reportedly National Security Agency (NSA) folk from Fort Meade can work from Menwith Hill in England to intercept local communications without either nation having to burden themselves with the formality of seeking approval or disclosing the operation."

This is not a science fiction movie of the week. This is a very real and integral part of globalist policy. Echelon, "A global electronic spy network that can eavesdrop on every telephone, e-mail and telex communication around the world will be officially acknowledged for the first time in a European Commission report. ..." My sources and written reports noted, "Within Europe all e-mail, telephone and fax communications are routinely intercepted by the United States National Security Agency, transferring all target information from the European mainland via the strategic hub of London, then by satellite to Fort Meade in Maryland via the crucial hub at Menwith Hill, in the North York moors in the UK.

"The ECHELON system forms part of the UKUSA system but unlike many of the electronic spy systems developed during the Cold War, ECHELON is designed primarily for non-military targets: governments, organizations and businesses in virtually every country."

Echelon is old news to those who follow Big Brother's incremental agenda to undermine, abrogate and ignore our Constitution and Bill of Rights. European papers acknowledged it last year, and Dr. John Coleman of The World In Review exposed it years ago. FBI Director Louis Freeh has been struggling to bridle and control cyberspace almost since first landing in the Director's chair. Virtually everything cyber-related, from the subtle to the complex, Freeh and his co-conspirators want government to control, gatekeeper, or -- as an absolute minimum -- monitor.

Meanwhile, stuff happens, and another shoe has dropped. Thursday last, The Guardian reported under the headline "Intercepting the Internet" that "European commission documents obtained this week reveal plans to require manufacturers and operators to build in 'interception interfaces' to the Internet and all future digital communications systems." What the hell are "interception interfaces"? Who controls them? How are they used? What, if any oversight is there supposed to be to protect that anachronistic concept of privacy?

"The plans, drafted by a U.S.-led international organization of police and security agencies, will be proposed to EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers at the end of May. They appear in Enfopol 19, a restricted document leaked to the London-based Foundation for Information Policy Research."

OK, is this The Man from U.N.C.L.E., or CHAOS? Could it be SPECTER?

"A secret international organization is pushing through law to bring in eavesdropping points for websites and other forms of digital communication." Maybe this is Louis Freeh's Christmas present from President Clinton in recognition of the FBI's selective memory loss, and preferential malfeasance? "A German tapping center could (would) intercept Internet messages in Britain, or a British detective could listen to Dutch phone calls. There could even be several tapping centers listening in at once." Then I suppose extracts could be made available to Larry Flynt and James Carville for their pay-per-view cable show.

This insidious policy was apparently formulated at what was supposed to be secret meetings of an organization reportedly founded by the FBI. This newest initialed bureaucratic aggressor is known as the International Law Enforcement Telecommunications Seminar (ILETS). It includes police and security agents from up to 20 countries including Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and -- get this -- they have been meeting regularly for seven years.

The FBI founded this ILETS group in 1993. Why? Well after "repeatedly failing to persuade the U.S. Congress to pass a new law requiring manufacturers and operators to build in a national tapping network, free of charge" they apparently did what the administration has (and arguably will do) whenever confronted with an uncooperative Congress. ("Congress? Congress? We don't need no stinking Congress!") ILETS has succeeded since its creation in having its plans adopted as EU policy and enacted into national legislation in a growing number of countries.

Some may argue (wrongly) that "that's just Europe. It could never happen HERE." Reality check: ILETS was founded by our FBI. As I noted last year in this space, "It is illegal for the United States to spy on its citizens ... kinda. The laws have been circumvented by a mutual pact among five nations. Under the terms of UKUSA agreement, Britain spies on Americans and America spies on British citizens, and then the two conspirators trade data. A classic technical finesse. It is legal, but the intent to evade the spirit is inescapable. Perception is NOT reality. The London Telegraph reported in December of '97 that the Civil liberties Committee of the European Parliament had officially confirmed the existence and purpose of ECHELON."

The prophecy of Orwell, Huxley and others are becoming reality. Can the "Thought Police" be far behind?