Sure To Piss Someone Off

Kitties As feared, kitten number three was dead when I got home last night. It was the other tabby, so we are now down to two. Nate has named the grey one, MJ, for Mongoya Jr., although they do not resemble one another at all. The other one has yet to be named. For now, its just "the tabby." Job Front I’m still applying for jobs. I applied for one at the Fed. Pub. Defender’s office as a legal secretary. I would love to have that job. It doesn’t close until the 19th, which is certainly a long time to wait but I hope it will be worth it. Additionally, one of the lawyers here is putting in a good word for me. Palace Revolt The Newsweek article that been buzzed about on and off blogs. I’m deeply concerned about this article and if the allegations set forth within are true, we have a problem. I’m not an idiot. I understand that we are at war. Yet, the notion that simply because we are at war means the Constitution doesn’t matter, nor the Geneva Convention, and we can simply re-write the basis of our country to fit the needs of a few is dangerous. If you believe that a president should be given "near-total authority over the prosecution of suspected terrorists" and as Mr. Yoo believes "that power is for the president to use as he sees fit in a time of war," then I strongly urge you to read the meaning of "representative democracy," "republic," "oligarchy," and especially "totalitarian dictatorship." See, we believe that because we’re citizens of the United States of America that it can’t happen here. You know, we can’t be taken over. Tell that to Chile, whose elected government was overtaken by Pinochet in 1973. We’re a democracy, it can’t happen here. Really? When you move the power from the people, or in the case of America, from the people elected to represent the people, to the hands of few or one, you are breaking down the democracy and heading into dangerous, dangerous territory. I’m talking Hitler/Mussolini territory. I understand that as our world changes, as the threats to our lives change, so must we. But there must also be a point where someone says, "STOP!" There must be a point where we tell our government it must stop infringing upon the rights of its citizens, it must stop infringing upon the rights guaranteed under International Law, it must stop setting a bad example. There must be a line drawn between national security and citizen’s rights, otherwise, we are not America and we have not learned from our mistakes and the mistakes of other countries. Our government is supposed to be a series of checks and balances. Where are they? They’re being circumvented, they’re being ignored, they’re being "justified . . . by invoking a post-9/11 congressional resolution authorizing the use of force against global terror." (How is eavesdropping considered "use of force?") Read the article. Draw your own conclusions. Just don’t think it can’t happen here.