11. Liberties

The rebellion of the animals in George Orwell's "Animal Farm" starts on the farm of Mr. Jones on June, 21.
The two pigs Snowball and Napoleon become the leaders of the new regime. Soon after, they come up with new commandments:
- Whatever goes on four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
- No animal shall sleep in a bed.
- No animal shall drink alcohol.
- No animal shall kill any other animal.
- All animals are equal
For a certain time, the animals work very hard. They are motivated and the first harvest is a great success. The animals adhere to the new societal project happily.
However, one character is of special interest to the reader: Clover, the mare. With caution and discretion she regularly checks the commandments, pinned up on the walls of the barn.
As time passes, the commandments slowly sink into oblivion. There is the rain that accelerates the process, simplifications and new interpretations are made and the memory of Clover worsens. One day, Benjamin the donkey reads the last remaining but modified commandment out to Clover:
- All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others
Some animals are apparently less equal than others which also means, that they are less free. The story of the "Animal Farm" illustrates a phenomenon which is still prevalent in our society. Since ever, vigilance is not only our duty but also a sanctuary. And even today we can't just flinch away from it. We always have to be aware of our common European history which, at the same time, does not mean that we don't have to care for the present and for the new threats to our liberty anymore. The so-called "intelligent" video surveillance, often paraphrased as "protection via video surveillance", biometry, data capture, digital information repositories, body scanner...The fast improvement of new technologies, the refinement of the semantics up to the use of euphemisms and the progressive crossing of our "red lines" dominate our way of thinking.
Individual freedom, needed as far as it contributes to the common welfare, has to be defended and rethought continuously.
Europe, mother of the Enlightenment, the Habeas corpus and the works of John Locke, has the necessary means for self-criticism. Moreover, Europe is also able to record its achievements and do make new propositions - provided that we make ourselves...remember the past.