won't get fooled again

• Senator Reid Says Barrack Obama Will Revisit FISA If Elected President. - Then why not oppose it in the first place?! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
  

• Obama Would Consider Using Military Action Against Iran; "No Options Off The Table." - Apparently Obama's definition of "change" is to use the same foreign policy as the Bush administration. This is despite the fact that polls show the majority of Americans oppose a military solution for Iran. Sadly, most of these Americans will still vote for either Obama or McCain, even though these candidates are not interested out the will of the American people.

Part of me still wants to believe that Obama would do something to help turn America around; I have no hope of McCain doing so. That said, I'm not naive enough to actually vote for him.

echoes off these walls

My lack of activity isn't because I have nothing to say; there's plenty to talk about--The Dark Knight, sports, and of course, politics. No, the reason I haven't posted at all in the past couple weeks is because of the serious carpal tunnel-like symptoms I've been experiencing lately. I've always occasionally had cramping and stiffness in my hands and wrists--the product of years of online gaming and internet use. But lately the symptoms have grown much worse, so I've been severely limiting my computer usage in attempt to relieve the pain. We'll have to see how things go but it may be a little while till I get back to regular posting.

the politics of greed

This still isn't getting any easier to swallow. John Turley does an excellent job of laying out why the passage of the FISA bill is a horrible blight on the history of this country (this video was aired on July 8, a day before the bill was passed). Quite simply, the spineless Democrats are allowing Bush and his Republican cronies to cover up the fact that the President is guilty of a felony--a felony he committed at least thirty times! From the clip:

"What the Democrats are doing here with the White House is they're trying to conceal a crime that is hiding in plain view. ... Nobody wants to have a confrontation over the fact that the president committed a felony. ... That's a very inconvenient fact right now in Washington."

"The Democrats have learned well from Bush," Turley said in amazement. "They're just going to change the rules. ... It's otherworldly. ... I am completely astonished by Senator Obama's position -- and obviously disappointed. All of these senators need to respect us enough not to call it a compromise. It's a cave-in."

"It's like all those stories where someone is assaulted on the street and a hundred witnesses do nothing," continued Turley. "In this case, the Fourth Amendment is going to be eviscerated tomorrow, and a hundred people are going to watch it happen because it's just not their problem. ... There's not an ounce of principle, not an ounce of public interest in this legislation."

Turley added that even though the telecoms could still be prosecuted criminally, it's unlikely to happen. "The fix is in," he concluded. "Tomorrow night, there's going to be a lot of celebrating among telecom lobbyists. ... What we will lose tomorrow, it's something very precious."

This country has come a long way since Watergate in how it deals with Presidential felonies and unfortunately the change is not for the better.

watching with their shiny satellites

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

Today the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill to expand Federal domestic surveillance powers and grant retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies for aiding the federal government in spying on American citizens.

I'm furious. Our elected officials in the federal government have made it clear what their priorities are, and it isn't upholding the Constitution or looking out for the rights of the American people. I will never vote for the reelection of Congressman Chabot, Senator Voinovich, or anyone else who supported this act. In fact, I plan to write both of their offices and tell them this. It's not much, but it's something. I'm tired of people saying that there's nothing that can be done about it. The solution is actually fairly simple: stop voting for them!! These people have willfully betrayed the Constitution and the American people. In my mind they are traitors and should be dealt with as such.

We elect people to go to Washington to speak and vote on our behalf; anyone whose votes show their lack of respect for the principles this country was founded on does not speak for me. Senator Obama ultimately voted in favor of the bill, which is the last straw for my declining support of him. He does not care about the Constitution. He does not care about the rights of the American people. His "change" is a lie. I do not want him to be my president. Even Hillary Clinton voted against this bill!

At least John McCain hasn't tried to hide the fact that he's a disciple of Bush and will unapologetically continue to expand the executive branch while eroding civil liberties. I've come to the conclusion that Barack Obama may actually be worse--he's guilty of manipulating people into believe in a movement towards change, and once the Democratic nomination was secured, he's shown his true colors.

Not that it ultimately matters which one of them is elected; they'll both continue to expand the powers of the executive branch at the expense of checks and balances, the Constitution, and our civil liberties. Not that any of those things are important to Americans--not if they can continue to grow fat and watch reality t.v. with the false illusion of safety. Getting angry and actually taking action requires too much thought. We are sheep, and I fear we're letting ourselves be led to the slaughter.

democratic elections under martial law

George Stephanopoulos should be ashamed of his slanted questions and arrogant attitude, but what can one except from someone in the mainstream media?

I've been hesitant to support Bob Barr for president, mainly because I wasn't sure how sincere he was in his political beliefs. Barr was once a die-hard conservative Republican who espouses a libertarian philosophy (the video explains this in more detail). But since he realistically has no real shot at winning the presidency, I feel confident that his conversion from neo-con to libertarian is fairly genuine--and since the evolution of my own political beliefs is fairly similar, I'd be a hypocrite to hold that against him.

I've been feeling that a third-party vote is the way to go this November. Voting for McCain is completely out of the question--as cliched as it sounds after hearing it over and over, he really is running on a platform that sounds exactly like four more years of Bush. I've been growing more disillusioned with Obama--especially after his FISA flip-flop--and I'm sadly realizing that all his inspirational speeches and talk of "change" are nothing but more empty political change. Since the two major political parties are essentially one and the same--and care nothing for the Constitution--I doubt that I can vote for even more of them in good conscience. It makes me happy that I stuck with my guns and voted for Ron Paul in the primary.

Stephanopoulos might be right about Barr taking votes from McCain and helping Obama win, but since one of those two has to win, I'd rather take a chance with Obama. Neither option looks promising. That said, after feeling guilty for the past few years that I helped reelect a president who is one of the worst violators ever of our Constitution, I don't want a vote for either McCain or Obama on my conscience. That way I can maybe take some small satisfaction--offer a smug "I-told-you-so"--as our country continues circling the drain towards a bankrupt police-state.