The Snooping Needs to Stop

Hello - anyone out there?

It's hard to believe I haven't posted since January, but life does get crazy sometimes. Unfortunately, there always seems to be much material I could write about if I could be more "disciplined", I guess.

Today, though, I am angry enough to post. I am angry that Congress (especially Democrats who were more afraid of a veto than concerned about civil liberties) expanded the scope of warrantless wiretapping. I don't understand why they cave in to a President who has no respect for the checks and balances of our Constitution, our civil liberties, or the common people, period. I am angry that no one seems outraged. Wake up, people!

Then I received an e-mail of this article and felt I had to post the link and urge everyone to read it. Maybe it will cause someone who had been unaware or unconcerned to be more alert and active.

The link: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/080207.html

My Action List for the New Congress

So the new Congress is in place and there's buzz about a "100-Hour Agenda". Ok, I endorse that; it's a start. But there's quite a lot more to be done:

1. Global Warming - with the polar bear threatened, penguins adjusting habits due to climate change and even a "tongue" of Canadian arctic ice breaking off from Ellesmere Is., it can no longer be denied that this is indeed a planetary threat. We need to get get into the Kyoto Protocol and start taking some leadership for addressing this immense problem. If we don't, I have the feeling many others won't matter.

2. Iraq - get us out of there. Get U. N. Peacekeepers in if possible, get the Iraqis doing the job, just stop letting our men and women face danger in this quagmire.

3. Violence - we need to take steps to stop the violence that seems to be infecting our cities, especially. What about having some sort of summit or networking session to help law enforcement and community leaders find solutions? We also need to commit more money for police and for rehabilitation programs.

4. Civil Rights - for heaven's sake - recall that detainee bill, restore Habeas Corpus, and make sure that detainees have fair legal hearings and close Guantanamo. For privacy's sake - stop warrantless wiretapping and snooping. I just saw a snippet of a report where they were opening mail. This practice needs to be curbed and snooping should ONLY be done by court order. Fix the Patriot Act and stop snooping on what people borrow from libraries!

5. Poverty - I don't know of easy solutions, but funding more rehab (so many impoverished are addicted) and more education, training, and mentoring programs would be a start. Get good affordable child care and public transit. Those things can help people as they seek to rise.

6. Education - start scholarship programs so that students can attend college without going into debt. If the government could start the framework and provide some seed money, I would think that people and organizations would be willing to donate. Hire more social workers to help students cope with the pressures and problems of society they are too often faced with.

7. Accountability - listen to ordinary Americans. Members of Congress (as well as other officials such as the President and the Cabinet) should hold regular town hall meetings. Be accessible to regular folks, not just lobbyists. Pay attention to demonstrations and protests, don't be so insulated from them, even if you disagree.

Christmas Bonuses - for Some of Us

I saw a report on NBC Nightly News that said Wall St. Christmas bonuses would be quite generous this year. Hmmm. It also said that (if I remember correctly) 66% of workers don't receive such bonuses. There was also a report in the Phila. Inquirer recently that said the South Jersey food bank was hurting because there is such a demand for food to help families make ends meet; increasingly these families are the "working poor". And I found out today that the one local "strip mall" raised the rent on the Dollar store (a Mom-and-Pop store, not a chain) so it will be going out of business. Word is that a Dollar store chain will take its place.

Why isn't it clear to everyone that our priorities are out of whack? We give lavish bonuses (and tax breaks) to the wealthy; to everyone else - just crumbs. It just keeps getting harder and harder for anyone to own their own store or small business. We're being overrun it seems with franchises and big corporations. One major concern about that is that decisions are too often made at the corporate level without knowledge of local trends. Another is that our choices are too often swallowed up as "little guys" cannot compete with the big retailers. If your favorite brand isn't one of the top sellers, well, good luck having it stay available.

Can we imagine a world where more people are economically empowered? I think it's time to start.

I'm Back, Sort of

If anyone's reading this, you know I haven't posted to this blog for a while. Things have been particularly crazy at work this semester; there's been so much to do on weekends; and there was the little matter of having to get a new heater and oil tank. I'm not sure how much time and energy I'll still have for this, but I may not give it up just yet. There's so much I probably could write about if I were more motivated, it seems.

I even missed my man John Adams' birthday. Well, Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. President! Hope you're praying for this country from the other side.

The Shameful, Tyrannical Detainee Bill

Like many, I am unbelievably upset that Congress passed this horrible piece of legislation. I am astounded that so few of our elected Representatives and Senators have no backbone and caved in to a power grab by the administration.

Please read posts by Jane Smiley, Molly Ivins, and Joshuah Bearman.

If you do not share these concerns yet, I would advise you to wake up, and to do so very soon.

I was especially disturbed that my two Senators - who I thought were pretty good - joined the Republicans in passing this bill. I wrote to them and expressed my extreme disappointment. I would advise anyone whose Senator or Representative voted for this atrocity let them know this is unacceptable. And do not let the GOP get away with continually playing a fear card and using 9/11 as an excuse to shred our liberties.

Merely coincidences...

I think everyone should view the Keith Obermann video in which he lays out some very "strange" coincidences of political events and terror warnings. I sort of felt that there were some very eerie coincidences - or are they- going on. It seems as though someone else has noticed in a much more organized fashion than I have. It's well worth watching.

To view the video go here. Scroll down for Keith Obermann/Politics and Terror. There are a variety of links for different viewing formats.

We should all be aware and insist that politics NOT be played with security and terror warnings.

Is There Something Going On?

Recently it seems that some Yahoo groups were shut down, apparently by Yahoo itself. At this point any information I have is very sketchy. It seems that it was groups critical of the administration who were affected. I have also heard that it was not just Yahoo groups affected but some other groups and blogs have been shut down as well. I think we should all ask what is going on. Is this just the work of hackers? If so, why should they be allowed to shut down someone's mode of communicating with a wider audience? Is it deeper than that? Is there some movement to deny these venues to liberal groups and writers, to dissenters? If so, we'd all better wake up and stop this in its tracks before it's really too late for all of us.

If anyone has more information, please post a reply as I'd really like to know as much about the situation as possible. If there is anyone whose group or blog has been affected, I'd really like to hear from you. Thanks to all in advance.