1st Place in Derby #308: Orwellian , with 206 votes!

As my surveillance system has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, I feel compelled to outline why and how my actions have been justified. My all-seeing-eye system has sought to bring longstanding security to Middle Earth, and has succeeded in this goal. 

We must bring our national security tactics out of the Second Age and focus on the security challenges facing us today. Tracking the behavior of a very small population (Hobbits) pays dividends that far exceed the purported "threats to personal privacy." 

Furthermore, let us remember that the goal of these surveillance programs is to obtain the whereabouts of <em>my own ring</em>. Its ownership is not in doubt, and its peaceful restitution is simply a matter of justice. The individuals who continue to obfuscate its location -- the individuals being tracked by my surveillance system -- are not law-abiding citizens, but dangerous scofflaws. 

Security in the Third Age requires a broad range of intelligence strategies, and I remain confident that the giant clairvoyant eye I have transformed myself into strikes the proper balance between privacy and transparency. 

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