This whole thing stinks to high heaven. Imprisoning people indefinitely flies in the face of the Rule of Law, not to mention Due Process rights in the Constitution.

Our Constitutional Scholar president should be aware of, and understand this. If he chooses to ignore it, that will send a strong and very negative message about him and his administration.

The guy is starting to look more and more like an eloquent, slimier version of Bush. Bush, at least, was reasonably honest about what he was doing -- Obama, not so much. Obama so far has failed at living up to his promises on LGBT rights, and it seems likely he will fail again on more general civil rights -- such as the right to a fair trial.

It seems like the latter is one of the few things all Americans, Republican or Democrat, should be able to agree on. It is extremely disappointing that Obama seems to be ignoring this.

[Edit: I've added a link to Americablog's breakdown of the brief the Justice Department in federal court defending the Defense of Marriage Act in the text above. Please read it before commenting.]

-- Des

I sent the Obama administration the following letter, because as good a job as he's been doing, I have yet to hear anything about the NSA's warrantless wiretapping, and what the administration plans to do about it. Indeed, his record on the subject has fallen rather short of his usual standard.

The guy is many times better than Bush, yes. But it's still important to hold his feet to the fire when he makes a mistake, particularly on an issue that is as important and Constitutionally-fundamental as this one.

The way terrorism intelligence has been handled in this country, over the past 8 years -- the "guilty until proven innocent" mentality, the mentality that "giving up civil rights is OK if it's to fight terrorism"... these things smell rather unpleasantly of McCarthyism and witch hunts.

Society pays a real, human cost for this surveillance. That cost is rarely obvious -- at least, not right away, but it is there. One only has to look at repressive regimes such as China, or the Thai government, to see what happens on the other end.

Combine wholesale surveillance with a climate of fear, and a lack of respect for due process and the rule of law. Good, innocent people will be branded criminals, forced to pay fines and serve jail sentences, or worse -- solely because they are brave enough to present competing ideas.

Let's stop it now, before we get that far.

>>> In 500 characters or less...

Dear Pres. Obama,

I am appalled at the degree to which the NSA has overstepped its authority in spying on ordinary American citizens. I think it's clear, from the following links, that our Constitutional rights have been violated. What steps will your administration take to correct this issue, and hold those responsible accountable?

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/01/nsa-whistlebl-1.html
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/01/nsa-whistlebl-2.html

-- Des

He may not have said anything about it in his inaugural speech, but he certainly seems to be doing something about it.

Thank you, Mr. President.

-- Des

I just finished watching the inauguration speech -- and I have to say, I felt it was toned down. I think there are a lot of things about the past 8 years he could have said, and didn't. Since Ex-President Bush was sitting right there, that's probably for the best. ;P

He said the right things about the economy, reminded us we all have a duty to ourselves and to each other. He talked about sustainability (though not in so many words). I was also encouraged to hear him speak in terms of hope, and against fear. I was happy to hear that he understands, on paper at least, that we can provide for our security without compromising our ideals (or, presumably, our freedoms).

However, he said not one word about torture, and I felt like he downplayed our tarnished reputation in the rest of the world. That is something that sorely needs to be addressed. I still detect a hint of the same institutional arrogance -- "America is ready to lead again!". No, no it's not. Not until we have regained the world's trust, and repaired our reputation. We have a long way to go.

I'm not ecstatic, or jubilant, as many people here seem to be. I'm skeptical -- these are words, not actions. It remains to be seen, now that Obama has the capacity for action, whether he will live up to our expectations. But I'm hopeful, at least, that we're finally starting down a better path.

President Bush: Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

-- Des

I don't have enough time to keep up with this shit, and it doesn't seem like I can trust anyone else to do it, either.

-- Des

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger,

I am strongly in favor of the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage. I believe it is past time for California to recognize ALL marriages, not just the ones with the "right" combination of body parts.

For most of us, the right combination is a man and a woman. But for some of us, the right combination is two men, or two women. We ask only for the freedom to decide that for ourselves.

I don't think anyone, gay or straight, wishes to challenge the sanctity of straight marriages. On the contrary, I think most of us recognize that marriage is a sacred institution; one which protects our spouses and our families. That's why it's so important for same-sex marriages to be recognized by the State. Children of gay and lesbian parents, and the parents themselves, deserve that protection.

I urge you to do everything you can to fight the anti-same-sex marriage initiative that will be on the ballot in November. Please don't allow hateful bigots to decide what is best for our families.

Thank you.

-- Des

Please take a moment to review and consider signing the online petition asking Congress to hold the telecoms accountable for conspiring with the government to spy on American citizens.

The EFF has an excellent background article on the spying here. If you're not already familiar with the issue, please take a moment to read the article before deciding whether to sign. Also see the EFF Deep Link to the petition.

Thanks.

-- Des

9/11 commemorative this-and-that ... starting to get on my nerves.

Yes, it's tragic that thousands of people died. I didn't know anyone personally, but I've lost friends and family members before, and I know how hard that can be, especially when they are taken from you suddenly.

But ... all of those people died for nothing. Their deaths were senseless and meaningless, and that makes it all the more tragic.

I know, I know, it's nice to think they died for freedom, for America, for the freedom of America, protecting their country. Unfortunately, the best that can be said is they were used as pawns by a terrorist organization.

The United States is worse off than it was 6 years ago. The economy has recovered somewhat, true, but our government has used 9/11 as an excuse to take away our freedoms and dilute what this country ostensibly stands for. Our government has gotten bigger and more powerful, it spies on us, and the populace lives in fear of it. We were the aggressors, and are now the occupiers, in a war on a country that made no move against us. This war has made us less safe at home by putting us at higher risk for terrorism. Our president has one of the lowest approval ratings in history.

Bush and his government are the real terrorists. The fact that a man who uses the US Constitution as toilet paper can remain in office for this long is downright criminial.

We learned nothing from 9/11. But it's never too late to start.

-- Des

Dear Sen. Feinstein,

As a voter and a constituent, I was shocked and appalled this morning to discover that you had voted for S.1927 -- Pres. Bush's changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I am amazed you would do this even after it has been demonstrated that Pres. Bush conspired to work outside the bounds of existing law in setting up his wiretapping program through the NSA. (Also see the Electronic Frontier Foundation's article at http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005386.php .)

In your press release, you state, "The intelligence community is deeply concerned that chatter among suspected terrorist networks is up. I am concerned as well. We are living in a period of heightened vulnerability, and must give the intelligence community the tools they need to protect America."

I share your concerns. I am concerned about the potential harm terrorists may do to me, my family, and my countrymen. However, I am far more concerned about the ACTUAL harm that will be done to American liberties through this Act. I am concerned about the ACTUAL harm that will be perpetrated all across the country as the Attorney General's office uses their new toy to hunt down anyone they might think a terrorist, WITH NO PRIOR COURT REVIEW. I am concerned about the ACTUAL harm done to recipients of these section 105 certifications, now conscripted into the government's intelligence network against their will, and possibly their ethics.

I can only hope the damage done by this law is limited. But the public will never know for sure, since anyone served with a certification will be bound to secrecy.

In trying to solve the terrorist problem, you, Senator, have created a much bigger one. You have sent a message to President Bush and his administration that violating the civil liberties of Americans is OK -- you'll just pass a law so it's not illegal anymore.

For that, you have lost my respect, and my vote.

-- Des

Went out for sushi tonight with the cats. On the way home, I was passed by a CHP unit in the left lane going at minimum 90 MPH (and more likely closer to 100).

The officer driving the vehicle did not use his lights, did not use his siren, didn't give any warning whatsoever. I had no indication it was a CHP vehicle until it had already passed me and I caught a glimpse of the CHP logo on the side.

I know sometimes they need to break traffic laws, and that includes driving at excessive speeds. I'm fine with that.

But they need to fucking warn people when they do that. Because when they drive like that, they put themselves and everyone around them at greater risk. I don't care who or what they're going after; they have a responsibility to everyone with whom they share the road. The fact they are CHP only heightens that responsibility.

I expect the kind of behavior I saw this evening from dumbshit 16-year-olds on Prom night. I do not expect it from sworn officers whose job is to maintain highway safety. [OK, maybe that's not being entirely fair. But I had no idea it was a CHP car until it passed me.]

So ... question. I'm considering sending a note to the CHP discussing this, because it's not the first time something like this has happened, and I think the policy (such as it is) needs to be changed. What are your thoughts? (explodinglemur, I'm looking at you ;) )

Edit: Nick pointed out that people often don't know how to respond to red lights in their rearview mirror, and will do any number of stupid things. So not warning at all may be better than flashing police lights. But it still seems like there should be a way for them to say, "Hey, pay attention, I'm about to do something unconventional.".

>>>

( Draft Letter to CHP )

-- Des

So, I took my grandma out to go christmas shopping for my parents, since she can't drive anymore. On the way back to dropping her off at her house, I got pulled over by a cop for going 45 MPH.

The speed limit was 45 MPH.

Apparently, I was driving "too fast for conditions"...however, he pulled me over despite that fact that (a) I am driving a Jeep, which is designed to be able to handle such conditions, and (b) there was nobody in front of me, so I would still have plenty of time to brake if needed.

He acknowledged both of these points, but still gave me a warning.

Since it was just a warning (and therefore doesn't go on my record or have a fine), I didn't make an issue out of it (though my grandma certainly did, lol). But it's annoying. Cops should not be wasting their time pulling people over who are being safe, even if they ARE just outside of what is "legally allowed" (assuming, for the moment, that I was in fact going too fast...even my grandma doesn't think I was, and she's scared of driving, period).

Anyway, that's my rant for the day.