Like I trust you NOW....

Trust..

It's one of those things that when it's violated - it doesn't grow back the same way again.. We believed Bush and that was our mistake..

Most recently Alberto Gonzales defended Bush's "right" to spy on Americans with the following limitations:

-"He said Bush's authorization requires that at least one of the parties be outside the country and linked to al-Qaida or an affiliated organization." Whoa Nelly.. This administration has come out to say that SADDAM is linked to al-Qaida when in fact there has been no link found between the ousted leader and the terrorist organization and 9/11.. So, Alberto, I have a real hard time believing that anyone contained in your little circle of friends can adequately IDENTIFY someone linked to al-Qaida or not... Especially when you put 8-month old children on a no-fly list because they are suspected terrorists.....

No, I refuse to believe that they have the capability to satisfy their self-imposed condition...

-"But he refused to say how many Americans had been targeted and insisted the eavesdropping was "very limited, targeted" electronic surveillance. "This is not a situation of domestic spying," he said. " Not so fast.. 60 minutes did a piece back in 2000 -- 5 YEARS ago about the Echelon program; detailing exactly how our intelligence agency has monitored virtually ANY electronic signal from cell phones, cordless phones to baby monitors.. Anything - everything - is recorded and stored.. So the very notion that Gonzales, with a straight face, can argue that domestic surveillance does not exist -- is a bold face lie..

Sorry Alberto, you're 0-2 so far.. You better step aside and let someone else take over..

-Let's bring in Republican Senator Cornyn of Texas who proclaimed that the New York Times has endangered America by exposing the domestic spy plot for purposes of selling an upcoming book release.. Oh wow.. Let's back up here a bit Johnny boy.. First of all let's not forget that it was this administration who ousted a undercover operative -- exposing an intelligence stream which may have put countless American lives at stake -- and could have averted future attacks and impeded the capture of those *KNOWN* terrorists that we keep talking about.. That very small insignificant tidbit aside.....

Secondly, the Patriot Act renewal contains greater authority to surveil virtually anyone, anytime without so much of a judicial oversight.. It's a manifested plot to circumvent the governmental process by eliminating the whole checks and balances routine that our founding fathers fought to secure.. Remember, if any one branch of the government has more control over the other, then we risk the balance of our governing capability - usurp the authority as WRITTEN that approval should be sought before wiretaps and any other surveillance is conducted is PARAMOUNT to sustain a balance within the government.. Government 101 here, John -- better take that class over I'm thinking..

However, *if* the argument is being made that we are in a time of WAR - then let's not selectively pick which points that happen to favor your agenda.. Remember, America in WAR-time meant that you couldn't profit because it would be detrimental to the economy of our country.. So, if you want to put the New York Times out on a stake, then let's address those other profiteers that seem to have gone by unscathed: gas price gouging, Haliburton's monopoly on virtually every recovery effort here and abroad not to mention every politican (not just Senator DeLay) who has profited from creative campaigning tactics that are illegal..

Now if it was a ploy for the New York Times to further their publicity for a book that's coming out, then I'd like to remind you that this administration has gone to some pretty elaborate lengths to capitalize on the press too ... Schiavo immediately comes to mind.. So unfortunately Johnny, you're going to have to face up to the fact that you and your party are guilty of doing the exact same thing that you're trying to condemn..

If we're a nation at WAR - then Johnny, you better start acting like it..

This on the heels of the Iraqi propaganda machine churning out "favorable" stories about the United States, and the constant slant companies like Fox puts out .... all of this begs the question of why do we believe these people at all.. I'm lumping everyone in this one because Democrats are notorious for exaggerating or under/over reporting their facts too..

Back in the day, if you lied and held an elected position - it was political suicide.. If you lie today, eh - you're elected for another term.. It reflects a societal change which started well beyond Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter... I can trace back to as early as Nixon when if you lied - that's bad, but we'll forgive you.. Anymore - you can flat out lie without any support or facts and it just rolls into the next news cycle.. Accountability is non-existent and yet we're setting a record for commissions, investigations and other fact-finding missions into the exploits of our elected few..

Business as usual, I suppose..

It's wrong to be right...

Newsweek got it right, but yet they are still considered "wrong" after the premature leakage of the Koran (or Quran - depending how you spell it) issues in Gitmo Bay.. After an abomination and public lashing from administration officials - guess what?? They actually got it right.. (hm, imagine that...)

But the more I start looking at other recent events, there's really a lot of things that this administration was wrong and yet they go after those that try to expose it for what it is.. Real - Right - Truth.. Concepts that I realize may seem foreign, but it's time to wake up..

The obvious "duh" event in this administration: Iraq.. While they may think in retrospect that they had all the right intentions, looking for all those mean WMD's, then claiming the freedom of all Iraqi people as almost an after thought once they realized that no weapons were ever going to be found.. Clearly Saddam wasn't the enemy he was hoping for, but at least Bush had his heart in the right place..

Schiavo ... come to find out the courts were right.. Moreover the doctors were also right.. Bush, Frist and the other pundits who batted for the family in Florida were all wrong.. Yet even as the press conference revealed the investigation into Teri Schiavo, this administration maintains that they did nothing wrong by "siding with life.." Problem with that argument is the fact that Bush and "life" simply do not belong in the same sentence (ala all those he's sent to death in Texas and beyond...) Right intentions - sure but guess what?? They were still wrong..

Patriot Act ... 9/11 ... Terror terror terror!! Run for the hills!! Laws that make it safer for Americans.. Um.. Not so fast.. Most recently - a report came out that said that we are no safer than we were on 9/10.. Ouch.. What happened?? (more on this in a bit...)

Social Security ... Now I have a conflict here.. I've long since believed that there's no way I'm going to see much of any relief from my contributions to Social Security.. It's not due to mis-management, but simply resolving the reality of a growing cost of living and a seemingly very slow paced payment for contributions to the kitty.. As one part of the chart is soaring off into oblivion, the other part looks like an overweight 747 that is trying to take off or something.... It's unreasonable to expect both lines to even come close much less become more parallel.. It's not happening..

Bolton & our role in the world ... I have no defense to offer for this administration's lack of credibility.. They are doing it to themselves in ways that we can't even begin to say on here.. Administration policy - wrong.. Anything come from a box of Lucky Charms would venture a better chance at world stabilization than what this administration has offered......

And the list goes on and on for what seems like forever.. Taxes.. Education.. Censorship.. It seems like everything anymore slips into the yin/yang debate.. What bothers me more than anything is that we have a President who has no regrets for doing any of them.. In fact, you could say that he's running downhill with blinders on ....

.... with a continually growing steaming heap of hypocrisy dragging on behind him.....

At a time when the President advocates that every American is to be responsible - he still claims no responsibility for any of his actions.. Even Clinton apologized.. C'mon!! Instead, there is an irresponsible persistence that simply cannot be explained..

Frankly, I'm still at a loss.. At least when one is denial - there are conditions which support the logical reason why the person simply doesn't acknowledge the error.. When it grows to this kind of level - there has to be something else going on..

*sighs*

Ask anyone who really likes Bush - "Why do you like him?" and you'll get the standard confounding answers: People feel more protected under his watch.. People felt they needed a cleansing shower after the Clinton administration because of what happened during "the scandal.." People feel desperation because the world is in some sort of moral decline and they are looking to Bush as being some sort of savior that will deliver the world from the toils and pain..

Wow.. And here I was at a loss before; imagine my disbelief now?!?!?!!?!!

Alright.. It's no mystery that The Rove Mystery Machine is working overtime trying to keep the dam from breaking.. But when they have fundamentally failed on nearly every attempt at governing - I'm really afraid to consider what would it would take to institute a wide-spread mis-information campaign in order to further govern the way they want..

The Downing Street memos are really interesting.. Even if they hold an eighth of truth in them.. It clearly shows how the conspiracy to manipulate facts and other information for whatever political gains they wanted..

But is this really unique in our history??

Remember how propaganda was spread in order to further the causes of whatever rhetoric or other issues that needed to gain public support for?? The war posters?? Songs?? Rallies?? War Bonds?? Rationing?? All in support of the war effort.. Sounds almost like your average, run of the mill Iraqi insurgency..

But instead of being reflective, we are accused of drawing insignificant parallels and only attempting to incite some sort of evil, un-American sentiment.. Wow.. We can't even go back in our history, cite that which our country has already gone through - because it's somehow un-American..

Well, I'm going to do it anyway..

I remember the day when we feared, hated, and otherwise were weary of the Soviet Union.. The portrayal in movies, the endless barrage of speeches and other opinions carefully churned the right mixture of information with propaganda.. Too sweet - and the public would see right through it.. Too sour and the message would be lost..

It became an artform..

It became a ballet of excruciating painful precise movements..

Things were controlled..

Until..

"Gore invented the internet.."

The spawn of truth mixed with fiction grew in proportions no one could control.. There was no containment.. No direction.. People could now say what they wanted without malice, without facts, without ethical standards and with considerable bias.. The message gets swarmed by an avalanche of conjecture, conspiracy and mis-information.. Blogging has taken this idea and expanded it in ways that we cannot underestimate..

In an act of desperation, the media has responded..

The media companies were bought, conglomerated, and merged into outlet giants that would remain under the tight reign and control of a chosen few.. These people would remain the shepherds serving at the will of the Empire.. Carefully doting and guiding flocks to dangerous cliffs, the *word* is manipulated into an unrecognizable form..

Any dissent.. Any disagreement.. Any hint of splitting from the ranks meant a mounted campaign to punish you or your company.. The slightest protest, satire, or thought is derided as being un-American or a threat to national security.. CBS, Dan Rather, Newsweek to mention those in recent memory....

Think about that..

When the message.. When the thought.. When the voice is muted.. When government silently controls the strings guiding our thoughts, information and beliefs -- what is that??

Control..

Governmental Control..

Look into the world history of the last century.. What did we call it in the 70's and 80's?? Communism.. What was it in the 30's and 40's?? Socialism..

When Russia and Germany sought control of what information was being conveyed.. When those governments, under the guise of being a "proper citizen" or for the protection of the country, use the purges and other remedies to remove dissent within the citizenry, their rights were profoundly discarded..

"Remain in line, or suffer the consequences.."

This week, the House of Representatives shot down new provisions to the Patriot Act that would've allowed agencies to wantonly investigate what books you read from the library, what videos you rent, or what content you're reading.. Under the guise of preventing the next 9/11 attack .... I re-raise my own personal doubts of the effectiveness of the Patriot Act..

Imagine this.. One of the searches that the government was interested in was whether anyone had done a search on Bin Laden's biography.. Now imagine a typical Social Studies teacher in high school that assigns a current events paper.. An innocent student checks out a book on Bin Laden so that they can prepare their report for class.. Now imagine that this innocent student will now show up on the radar screen of Homeland Security..

This is absolutely insane!!

I believe that the next coronation of the Patriot Act really means that our government has lost its effective capability of gathering relevant, concise and on point intelligence using the existing means at our disposal.. What I adamantly disagree with is this Administration using the "perceived threat" of more terroristic activities to bolster the effectiveness of the Patriot Act.. It's not a revelation that this Administration has perfected the ability to utilize threats in order to push whatever agenda they so choose..

But the Patriot Act really does not address the intelligence gathering capabilities outside the United States - and let's not forget that.. We've heard testimony within the last several months that say that we're no more protected than we were before 9/11.. Now how in the hell does that happen when we've already sacrificed a nice thick layer of governmental intrusions on our own soil??

Instead, the newly found Patriot Act addendums are going after our children's social studies book reports and lord knows what else.. Cookie recipes?? Reading up on Melville, Plato, or Ginsberg?? If anything, it's another tragic reminder of how our government has lost the intelligence wars on our home field.. Now we're left with the fact that our government can't track of those terrorists that are already walking among us..

Yet, they are making sure we're reading the "right" reading material that suits the policy....

.... just like the daily media buffet offerings..

It's scary contemplate that this administration wanted to install a new set of rules that alleviate the need for judicial oversight so that they can conduct surveillance of one's behaviors and habits without any level of judicial oversight.. Meaning - no one checks to see whether they have a valid cause to check out my library records.. The Patriot Act already has given law enforcement more powers without oversight -- and they wanted more....

.... this after being told that we are faring no better than we were 9/10..

Regardless of what an agency might think, I'm not an anarchist.. I am a very proud American who believes differently than this administration.. Whether that's an act of deviance, or simply exercising the right to have freedom of thought, freedom of expression - this defines an absolutely bitter divide and subsequent gray area..

I cannot say if we're no better off, but I can say that I'm still deeply concerned over the information flow of our government and what it means in the shortrun and in our future..

Time to let go...

More proof??

Here's what I don't understand..

-The Court initially found that the tube should be pulled
-Even after Congress, the Senate and the President RE-WROTE the law .... the courts: County, State, Appellate, State Supreme, Federal Appellate and the US Supreme Court still said "no.."

So even after you re-write the law, re-litigate the same issues, argue differently because you now have a different law in place -- the answer remains the same.. I'm glad to see that the black robes took the incredibly bold move to finally admit: it's not their place to decide such matters.. Even that is a twinge of hypocrisy because they make life/death decisions everyday for criminals..

Everyone is condemning the Bush brothers for failing Terri when in fact, it further proves the point they shouldn't have gotten involved to begin with.. I'm dismayed at Dubya's hypocrisy, but he's a consummate politician -- as are all of the others in D.C.. No sense of decency, moralistic or consistency.. That bothers me how people can end up on both sides of the issue arguing just as hard and fast as when they were on the counter-point.. *BAH*

It should've been a very easy case of family making the difficult choice.. If you can't make the choice, you should not have any authority in the decision process.. This is where you bring in someone who can arbitrarily look at the situation and determine what was right for Terri.. Obviously this voice seems a bit muted in comparison to the thralls of folks who are voraciously defending Terri's right to live.. What if she gave up that right?? What if she *had* communicated to her husband that she had no desire to be left in a vegetative state?? It's not as though Michael is acting in haste.. This has been evolving for 15 years - 7 of which in the legal system..

But even as Dubya maintains for his logic of the war in Iraq, he's had to make tough choices - and one of the most glaring ones was to put American lives in harm's way.. One of the hardest things to do if you're in such power is to be able to make some very unpopular choices if it remains to be the last choice on the board.. As much as I applaud Terri's parents for fighting for her daughter's life - they lack the foundation of reality to make any such decision.. Now that this has exploded into the pro-life/pro-choice debate, expect to see this not going away very soon..

I'll admit that the laws are incredibly vague regarding non-fetal right to die vs. right to live.. Unless you have it in writing, you're basically at the whim of whoever.. If anything positive were to come from this it gives the rest of America the wake up call: it can happen to you, anytime, any place, anyhow.. This means that unless you take corrective action soon - you could be in the same twisted fate that Terri and her family has gone through..

What every protester doesn't realize is the fact that any such mandate that guarantees the level of survival for Terri would've had far reaching implications for every person who is in a comparable state.. Where's the battle for those people?? Or for those people who have been hogtied with all of the health insurance red tape?? Where's Bush and the protesters for those people?? Hundreds of people die each day - and if we went to such elaborate lengths to save each and every single one of us - the country would collapse..

The single most important thing to consider is: "where would the $$cha-ching$$ come from??" Because the more $$ you have, the longer you're going to live.. Terri's money has been drained - only because her husband used it to pay the lawyers so to secure what appears to be her final wish.. He didn't spend it on a brand new SUV, a new house, or lavish gifts.. He secured the money to guarantee what she wanted: not to be left in a vegetative state..

It's amazing to think that her parents had all of this money just lying around, but if she's been in this state for 15 years, and the legal fight has been going on for 7 of those years, it sounds like to me her husband gave her the chance to recover before making the decision..

No one wants their child to die..

I'm not advocating that every person put in that position should have their plug pulled.. That's up to the individual.. And if it was Terri's wish - then why are we still talking about it?? The courts are obviously compelled.. When you go through so many levels - and each time you get denied .... there's more to the story that is getting printed or viewed..

I wish Terri peace, the family peace and hopefully there's a positive lesson people are taking to heart here..

The Right To Die...

I don't know where I'm coming from on the Schiavo matter.. I'm partial to her well-being which no one can seem to understand.. Now that it's "gone political" - I have real disdain for those that want to further their political lobbying on someone else's hardship -- who probably never wanted to have the attention she's getting..

Euthanasia is one of those issues that I really believe resides in the individual.. It's assisted suicide.. Now if we're going to legalize suicide -- which by itself seems to be an oxymoron because if one really is successful in suicide, the law is really meaningless....

...but if we're going to make a law saying it's okay to take one's life - then shouldn't we be examining "all life" (i.e. those on death row, abortion, etc)?? I know I'm cutting across the grain on this one, but if someone doesn't like it here - I'm not really inclined to keep them alive to make me feel better.. It's not MY choice to make, it's not YOUR choice in the matter, -- it's THEIRS -- Michael and Terri.. In Terri's case, we don't know what her choice is -- or what she ultimately would want.. Her husband says that they talked about it before the accident and she said then she didn't want to be kept alive by artificial means.. And if that were true, and if she said don't keep me alive, then this shouldn't be an issue..

Opponents believe that it will become an elderly free-for-all.. Old people, young people, every person on the planet will spontaneously go out and take their life.. Well guess what?? That happens on a daily basis anyway.. Making it a law doesn't mean God is going to reconsider sending someone back down from heaven because we've said so!! Even if that was the case, what government has the right to ordain that it's proper for a person to kill themselves or not??

A very personal example: my grandmother was very sick of living.. Her friends were dead, she couldn't care for herself anymore, and there was parts of her life that were dead already.. She wasn't active as she once was, and she wasn't adjusting that well to being an elderly citizen.. She was alone.. She was sick.. She was prone to accidents.. She became incontinence.. She was alive, but she wasn't living..

I remember when her and I talked several years before she died that she didn't understand why God was keeping her alive.. In her eyes, God was really pissed at her for some reason because she really wanted to go - she felt tired and no longer wanted to be here.. Spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically.. When we explore the whole aspect of "quality of life" ... what are we really saying?? Are we even listening?? What about the part of a kind and compassionate God?? If we're to be absolutely protective of all life - regardless, shouldn't we be re-writing the laws that condone the death of people who are incarcerated?? What about those thousands of people in Iraq, in the Sudan, in the Congo?? What about the Right to Live in those countries??

And which definition do we care to use to determine "quality of life??" Just because my grandmother wasn't hooked up to a feeder tube 24 hours a day doesn't mean her life wasn't miserable.. She *wanted* to go.. She felt her time in this existence was over and she wanted to be up in heaven.. No one assisted in her death - and she had a DNR on her chart.. When she reached that point - she was going to die, and she did..

On the otherhand, my other grandmother really lived life to its fullest - despite the fact she was legally blind and was going through many of the struggles my other grandmother was going through.. She managed to do what she could, and was very happy with that.. She was active, seemingly happy, and enjoying what she could manage.. Clearly we can measure the differences in the quality of life between them and I think it's totally appropriate that they have the choice as to how they wanted to live the remaining years of their life..

Even though it's a purely personal decision to make, why are we allowing the government to step in to make the choice for us?? And why?? It should be a personal decision to make.. No one should be forced to stay alive for the benefit for the rest of us.. That's intolerably cruel..

Here's what it boils down to for me:

-Terri's been alive for the last 14 years.. The quality of her life hasn't been the greatest.. She's been classified as "permanently vegetative.." What kind of quality of life is that??

-If I were to subscribe to the belief that Terri would get better if she was going under more intense treatment, I do not know it's our choice to make.. That's something that had to have been considered by Terri and her husband.. Because if there had been this miracle treatment that was never pursued - why?? No promise, not a very good percentage, no real guarantee??

-Moreover, I haven't heard much, if at all - about this "intensive treatment" and what it would ultimately mean.. If this therapy has been available, then WHY hasn't it been given to her?? Too expensive?? If they can't afford it - then they can't afford it.. Forcing her to live isn't going to solve the fact they can't afford the intensive treatment..

-It's not as though her husband has been denying her medical treatment.. She's being fed through a feeding tube for the last 14 years, hello!

-If Terri really measured out that it's not worth the struggle she has gone through for 14 years, then is anyone really listening to her?? We've preserved her life 14 years beyond that which was probably her time to go.. Regardless of all the treatments, surgeries, and options - nothing has made Terri better..

Are we playing God here??
Are we going places we really shouldn't be going??

When we can keep someone alive beyond their personal capability, beyond their desire to live, then why must we mandate that she must live?? Why must the Congress, the Presidency, all of the various religions and the rest of the world intervene on behalf of the life of one woman who is in a permanent vegetative state??

This really shouldn't be a political issue.. Nor should it be a religious issue.. It's a personal issue.. A personal issue between one person and her fate.. If she wants to live - then the tube should go back in; end of story.. But if she doesn't - then let her live the remaining days of her life so that she can move on..

Drop the political subpoena bullshit..
Cut all the media hype, the radio pundit rhetoric, and the evangelical manipulations..
Rip the religious duct tape from your hypocritical mouths and let's strongly, deeply consider what Terri wants..

It's her life..

If she's spoken - then let it go..