Somebody's watching
By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist | March 31, 2006

This is a very bad sign.

Actually, check that. It's a funny sign: a mysterious billboard, sitting atop a parking garage nestled between Fenway Park and the Massachusetts Turnpike, showing nothing more than George Bush's eyes and the phrase, ''Little Brother is Watching."

The board advertises a website, http://www.littlebrotheriswatching.com, which in turn questions the legality of Bush's domestic wiretapping program. The site also conducts a survey, provides links to various opinion pieces about the domestic espionage, and offers T-shirts for sale.

And now the state government -- the Republican state government, it's worth noting -- wants the billboard down.

The sign is owned by local developer and civic good-guy John Rosenthal, who also owns and funds the iconic gun safety billboard that stretches along the turnpike in Kenmore Square. That billboard has been featured on network television and quoted by Al Gore. President Clinton once took his motorcade on a detour just to point it out. Perhaps not coincidentally, state bureaucrats have quietly begun questioning the legality of the gun billboard as well, but more on that later.

On the ''Little Brother is Watching" sign, Rosenthal has not one moment of doubt what's causing it.

''It's censorship on the part of the Republican administration either here or in Washington that doesn't appreciate the humor or, frankly, having their tyrannical policies questioned," Rosenthal said. ''If that billboard said, 'Support Our Troops,' no one would be questioning it."

Rosenthal added, ''There's no agenda here, other than a public discussion."

State officials got involved in the discussion, all right. Their side of the conversation began like this: ''You are directed to remove this billboard forthwith." Those words were in a recent letter from the state Outdoor Advertising Board.

Rosenthal doesn't appear to have a lot of choice. Most billboards require a state permit. So-called on-premise signs do not need a permit, so long as they advertise something within the building. Because the ''Little Brother is Watching" billboard stands within 500 feet of a permitted billboard, it doesn't qualify for its own permit, even though Rosenthal owns the garage beneath it.

For years, Rosenthal used the billboard to advertise banks, and for a time, Bickford's, with no complaints. Last year, when the affable Bill Bickley took over as head of the Outdoor Advertising Board, he audited signs statewide. Rosenthal had a Hummer ad on the sign. Bickley asked Rosenthal to remove it, and he did.

On Feb. 13, Rosenthal and Don Law, a local promoter, put up the ''Little Brother" sign, figuring that a noncommercial, public service use wouldn't be challenged. They were wrong.

''That's just what the rules are, unfortunately," Bickley said yesterday.

When I asked whether this was politically motivated, Bickley replied, ''I don't have enough background information to form an opinion."

Later, John Carlisle, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, called to say: ''I can categorically deny this is a political thing. It's the regulations being upheld."

For now, Little Brother remains in place, but here's where it gets really touchy. Rosenthal has crusaded against gun violence, and this month he repapered his 252-foot-long antigun billboard, shaming states that don't require background checks for private gun sales.

Suddenly, state bureaucrats were checking on a waiver Rosenthal received 11 years ago that allowed a billboard that large. ''I've had several people ask me about it," Bickley acknowledged. ''Eventually, someone may challenge it." Who would challenge a billboard that discourages gun violence? That remains unclear.

''I'm being scrutinized for encouraging free speech and democracy," Rosenthal fumed. ''At the same time, what could be more un-American than to provide unrestricted access to guns by criminals."

Stay tuned. Rosenthal's signs are important. The signs coming from the state regulators -- and whoever may be pressuring them -- are anything but.

Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is mcgrory@globe.com.

I was really enlightened by t h e title, as I thought that you were referring to teh Homestar character "lil' Brudder". Its good to know that a one legged dog is not teh individual being charged with intrusive snooping. I knew that were teh allegations directed COCK him, they would be baseless.

So-called on-premise signs do not need a permit, so long as they advertise something within the building. Because the ''Little Brother is Watching" billboard stands within 500 feet of a permitted billboard, it doesn't qualify for its own permit, even though Rosenthal owns the garage beneath it.

Can I have a link to that article so I don't have to read it w/ the filter on?