As we know it and I feel fine

So. Now we are openly spying on American citizens without a warrant. Not even a secret warrant from the super-secret panel that assigns secret warrants. This is not America. This is what America fought against. This is what America proclaims to fight against today in other countries. On the bright side, this is an issue that every American can agree on.

This is not a Democratic issue, it’s not a Republican issue. This is an American issue. This is government gone bad. This is the true definition of "Big Government." When government invades your life and has no restrictions, that is the Biggest, Baddest Government possible.

We stand on a very precarious ledge today. Will Americans stand up and stop the abuse of power that this Administration has pursued, and now that they have admitted to it’s existence, stated that they will keep doing it so shut up and stop helping the terrorists? If people do not, we will never return to a life where we truly had a right to privacy.

If you want an idea of how far this concept of privacy and liberty go back, one of my favorite historical quotes was by Benjamin Franklin:

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

Step 1: Call your Congressperson and tell them how completely offended and insensed you are.

Step 2: Call your Senator and tell them how completely offended and insensed you are.

Step 3: Call you Governor and tell them how completely offended and insensed you are.

Step 4: Tell people who did not watch the President on TV this weekend or read the papers over the weekend what has happened and have a copy of the article to give them.

Step 5: Tell them to call their Congressperson, Senator, and Governor.

Step 6: Don’t let the media move away from this story. If people don’t react, they will drop it. Write letters to the editor, call in to talk shows (especially those that defend this practice and tell them just  how Un-American they are), send email, post on blogs, call your family; become that person. Because this time it means more than any other time in our lives.

Stand up America. Be counted.

Thank god (or what/whoever…) for cameras, I wouldn’t remember anything from my life without them.

I suppose that’s not completely true but it feels like it sometimes. I’m back at work after weeks goofing off in California, Illinois, and Michigan and (as you may be able to tell) I’m having a hard time getting back into the "work groove." Fortunately, my laptop, which sits next to my desktop at work, plays all of the picutres I have saved on it as the screen saver. This way I get to remember all the good times and ignore the fact that the pants I am wearing are about an inch and a half too short.

The downside is that I realize how much of the past five years I don’t think about very often and am in danger of forgetting completly. I suppose it’s better than not realizing it and loosing the memory forever as the neurons coat themselves in braindust or whatever it is that makes us forget things as our neurons suffer from under/mis use.   Well that thought just cost you five seconds of your life, sorry about that.

You may wonder why this is in the ‘gotta get away’ category rather than the ‘life’ one. (Probably not, but it’s a half-decent segue…) Well, I’ve been annoyed today at the ridiculous cost of airfare and hotel rates for the month of December. Let’s remember that I just traveled all over the country around the "biggest travel time of the year," Thanksgiving. All flights cost two to three TIMES more than I just paid. I’m also going to (most likely)  cancel the awesome NYC shopping trip due to hotel rates! LAME.

I did manage to find a sweet deal in Vegas for New Year’s though. I am looking for more people to share the room with so if you’re interested send me an email. December 30th to Janurary 1st at the Stratosphere. It’s going to ROCK. But this brings me back to the lame airfares as the flight is DOUBLE the Hotel rates for a one-way flight from Vegas to DC (i’m flying into LA for Christmas…). But don’t let the airlines keep you out of Vegas, again, it’s going to be AWESOME!