The Real Threat To America

Neo-cons! The whole dang Neo-con movement along with it's circus master, President George W Bush are the most dangerous element to the basis of what this country means.

It is very hard for me to turn the other cheek or be silent or even tolerant for the likes of that man when he does certain things. He came into office ignorant of the job and still chooses to remain ignorant of where his job begins and ends.

Have you heard the top secret?

Bush approved of wiretapping and eavesdropping on people's conversations without going through proper channels. He said, "This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security,"

When that secret was leaked out, he was the one who got angry for the ones who rightly exposed the secret and said, "This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States."

On several levels, this shows how backwards he has his job as President.

Civil liberties, being one of the things as President he is supposed to uphold and defend, is discounted on this fear-mongering campaign. Yes, there has always been a threat. 9/11 was not the first attack here and many attacks have been stopped before that happened. Terrorism will happen in the future. There is nothing that will stop it 100%.

The same threat has been there during Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. The terrorists have always been lurking at the gates looking for a way to attack. 9/11 was massive, but Bush's Administration had ample warning of this impending threat and did nothing to stop it only to over-react after the fact.

A fear campaign does not stop terrorism, it just infringes on the rights of people who may or may not be guilty. The whole color system of warning of level of alert are meaningless the way it is used. An inept campaign to fight terrorism is just as bad as having no campaign to fight it.

Bush said the program was narrowly designed and used "consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution." He said it is used only to intercept the international communications of people inside the United States who have been determined to have "a clear link" to al-Qaida or related terrorist organizations.

Based on the numerous people who have been falsely accused of threatening terrorist attacks who have been kidnapped, taken off their homelands, put into prisons to suffer torture, without even being charged with a crime, I think we MUST question this Administration's judgement when it comes to whom should be wiretapped and followed.

There is a reason for Checks and Balances. HE is the one who has some nerve to say the actions of those who leaked about the wiretapping were illegal and improper. He is the one acting illegally and improper.

His attitude of he will do what he wants to do as long as he holds office and to hell with everyone else is wrong. He is President, not King, not Emperor, not Dictator. We, the people, are HIS boss, not the other way around. He discounts following the Constitution and laws in a bid to protect the people. That is not the job of the President.

Now comes the Patriot Act renewal. After this leak came into light, although many suspected he was doing it, so no big surprise, then came the vote to renew. It did not pass. Senate Democrats, with the aid of a handful of Republicans, succeeded Friday in stalling the bill already approved by the House. The vote to advance the measure, 52-47, fell eight votes shy of the 60 votes required to end debate. This Patriot Act will end December 31.

Again with the fear campaign in order to get his way, Bush stated, "In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment." He claimed that senators who are blocking renewal of the terrorism-fighting Patriot Act are acting irresponsibly and standing in the way of protecting the country from attack.

Bush and his cronies are the ones acting irresponsibly and standing in the way of protecting our Constitution and civil liberties. Without the Constitution, what exactly are we protecting?

No, I am not saying we should throw up our hands and do nothing to fight terrorists. It is not a cut and dry, all or nothing, do it Bush's way or no way situation as his neo-con team want you to believe. It is about choices, alternatives, and thinking outside the box, but operating within the law.

Should wiretapping never be used? No, but I think we should do more than approve it for a mere suspect based on shady accusations. This is why such things had to be done with a court order. There needs to be proof that this action is necessary. The witnesses must prove to be credible. Surveillance picked up in this manner should properly be recorded and not just transcribed in notes as the supposed witness or ones conducting the tapping hear it. There is too much room for abuse on hearsay. Is it too much to ask of the people who are supposed to protect our civil liberties not just fling them aside on a whim?

There is a reason for due process. It is in our Constitution. When the Constitution was written, it did not say these rules do not apply to people who are suspected of crimes against the country. Even those who are traitors are guaranteed due process in the Constitution. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Why must people who are suspected of having links to terrorists groups or "lone wolfs" be subjected to false arrest, imprisonment and torture, without the right to counsel or to even talk to their fammily?

Yes, there are lone wolfs and terrorist suspects who indeed plan on doing damage, but there are many getting caught in this net where they are treated harshly for merely having done a totally unrelated business deal with a real suspect. A person could go to the same church, mosque, or synagogue with a real terrorist suspect and if you are seen talking to them then you could automatically be a target, even if all you did was ask them for the time.

This law is put up in fear of the radical Islamic groups, but the real question is when does this harsh law turn around on the rest of us? Tim McVeigh was a lone wolf by those terms. The group of white men who tied up a black man and dragged him on the back of their truck fit those terms. The people who gang up and kill homosexuals for the sport of it fit those terms. The children who have problems with bullies in school and threaten to kill fall in those terms.

These are all different levels of terrorism under the terms set up. It has not been enforced against Anglo-American citizens, yet. If you are a person of colour, you know exactly what I mean and where I am going with this.

If an otherwise cute looking blonde haired, blue eyed boy who was being bullied came running home teary-eyed because no one was able to stop the bullies threatened to kill them on the way home suddenly had a SWAT team surround his house in the middle of the night, knock down the door, put a hood over the child and keep the parents at bay without telling them what was going on or where they were taking the child...then to spirit the child out of the country into a dungeon where people could torture him based on his threat and try to tie other crimes on him, all the while he is not allowed to call his mom and dad or have a lawyer or someone in his corner...

Do you see the big picture, yet? How do you think the people in this country will react if it goes that far? By the terms of these anti-terrorist laws going around, that same child is no different than a leader of a radical Islamic group of terrorists.

Sorry if these extreme words offend you, but what our President is doing is frankly more offensive than anything I have mentioned here.

Holiday Blues

The months November through January tend to be hard on most adults in the Western world where it is the holiday season. Some of us put up with Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Boxing Day and other holidays depending on who you are, the family/religion/culture to which you belong, and your personal preferences on whether to celebrate or not.

The pressure of the time of the holiday season is not really the holiday itself that causes so much stress, depression, and anxiety, but it can come in the form of family relations, expenses, high expectations, and the settling in of cooler winter weather which may consist of days that are also cloudy and damp or extremely dry. Inevitably, there is always the cold/flu season lurking about waiting to find a worn out victim with weak defenses.

One good thing to say about the season as it is celebrated in our parts is that we are lucky to be able to celebrate it or not as we see fit. It is our choice, at least, if we can afford it. There are many who do not have the choice to enjoy the season because they are part of the poor/working poor underclass, some who will be working the retail stores and restaurants on Christmas day.

There will be children going to school with your child who may be surpressing sadness knowing their families will not have enough money to give them presents like the rest of their classmates. Perhaps it is your child. Perhaps it is a close friend. Maybe such families will decide to have a simple observance and go without lunch for a month. For such families, this time of year can be really stressful.

My point in bringing this up is there is something you can do.

The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, and UNICEF as well as local homeless missions are always in need of a handout this time of year. Your local police or firefighters may have a drive called Toys For Tots to help children get toys at Christmas. Be on the lookout for other charities that are not as well known. Get some information on charitable organizations before you make a donation.

For everyone else who has the holiday blues, the best advice I could give is to take it easy. Don't expect perfection because it will never happen. Did you ever watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? That poor guy was trying to strive for the picture perfect holidays with the whole family and it ended in one disaster after another. The point is, the harder he tried to make it perfect, the worse it got. The same will happen to most people who are expecting perfection instead of just going with the flow.

I know when it comes to dealing with family, some families are easier to get along with than others. No matter how difficult they can be, you might just miss them the next year if they pass on. If you have to deal with difficult people, try to avoid the things that trigger the worst of their personality traits. If that person becomes too much for you to handle, give yourself a little space and mingle with someone else or take a walk.

Keep a budget! The depression of January is always intesified when you see a big bill paid for on credit and you have the normal living expenses to deal with. The gluttony of Christmas has gotten out of control. Parents really do not have to stuff the tree with lots of boxes of toys just to impress the children. Give them a few items of what they really want and what you can afford. Encourage homemade gifts! Get a few decorative tins and make cookies, brownies or candies for people whom you do not know what they would like. And for really simple and stress free, get gift certificates.

Take care of yourself. Drink plenty of fluids, especially orange juice and green tea to combat the many viral infections in the air. Get plenty of sleep at night. If you feel too stressed, take a walk or turn on the music and dance.

Organize yourself. Make a list of all tasks you want to get done. Keep things you know you will need handy. If you can't find them, either search for them or buy them new and then put them in a spot where you can access them quickly. For instance, you may be sending out lots of cards and gifts, so be sure you have a shelf where you can store cards, envelopes, stamps, address labels, tape, gift wrap, gift cards, ribbons, bows, scissors and so forth.

Avoid the carb overload and alcohol. If you suffer seasonal depression, stuffing yourself with carbs or drinking alcohol will only make you feel worse. Try instead eating cubes of cheese, a hard boiled egg, or slices of luncheon meat. Instead of alcohol, try an herbal tea or flavoured coffee without caffeine.

I hope you will keep these tips in mind and you will enjoy the holiday preparations.

Beating The Holiday Blues