My understanding of the GP is specifically that we should not be comparing ourselves to 1984, but instead acknowledge the real problems we are facing, the OP article being a reflection of one of the real problems.
I agree it really does not do a great deal of good to compare ourselves to some hypothetical society, especially when we have such a rich and vast historical record to compare our modern actions against. We just need to look to the history of the NSA and CIA and see a whole range of domestic spying operations (the Prisms of their day):
The truth is comparing the US to some hypothetical police state we are simultaneously better off and worse off (so who cares if we are close to being that police state), but one thing is for sure our problems affect real lives on a daily basis, I think that is the point the GP was making.
I agree it really does not do a great deal of good to compare ourselves to some hypothetical society, especially when we have such a rich and vast historical record to compare our modern actions against. We just need to look to the history of the NSA and CIA and see a whole range of domestic spying operations (the Prisms of their day):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_CHAOS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MERRIMAC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MINARET http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_RESISTANCE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_SHAMROCK
The truth is comparing the US to some hypothetical police state we are simultaneously better off and worse off (so who cares if we are close to being that police state), but one thing is for sure our problems affect real lives on a daily basis, I think that is the point the GP was making.