Busy week.  Infuriating week.  Where do I begin?  How about apologies.  I'm covering a lot of area here so where you see a highlighted word it's going to be a link to what I am referencing.  Click on it!!!

Here is the apology.  Over at Sophmom's blog I said the Pope was irresponsible for his comments on Islam.  This is one of those cases of speaking before knowing all the facts.  I am sorry I called the Pope irresponsible.  He was defending Islam and his words were taken out of context.  He had nothing to apologize for.  We shouldn't be afraid to speak  for fear someone will be driven to violence.  If you are driven to violence over something someone says (or draws) you need some self control and an acceptable outlet for your aggression.  I hear there are some good anger management courses out there.

I've been a bit preoccupied with work.  I have this new position that I'm learning and it's time for my yearly review (and hopefully raise).  Now I normally don't worry about this but several co-workers were grousing about the crappy reviews and raises they have been getting the past few years.  I did get a whole 25 cents when I moved to my new position.  The way I see it, they had enough confidence in my abilities to do this new job.  There are more responsibilities and deadlines associated with the position, it's only right that it should pay more.  Don't you think?  I did get my review which was very good.  The HR guy is on vacation this week so I have to wait till next week to see what the raise is. 

The co-workers that were complaining mentioned they got a 12 cent raise.  They have both been there 5+ years.  12 cents doesn't even cover 3% cost of living increases.  This I find really infuriating.  Our store was the only store in the region who made sales plan which entitled us to profit sharing.  Wooo Hooo.  But wait!  When the prize was divided between everyone it amounted to about $15 after taxes.  They called a mandatory meeting between 8pm to 10pm to hand out the big checks.   Oh and they fed us pizza, which I was too tired to eat.  Then I had to get up at 3am to be there by 4am.  Yea, I'm annoyed.  So our store made 10+% more than last year.  Behemoth Building Supply had profit growth of more than 12% over last year.  Our fearless leader is making 10 million a year and we aren't even getting a 3% raise.  Yup ~W~,  I'm definitely downwardly mobile.

Speaking of money grubbing dirt bags, Andrew Fastow just got sentenced to six whole years in prison.  He agreed to 10.  I'm agreeing with John Sherck here,  this is a crock of s--t!  Click on Andy's name and it takes you to the CNN story where the sympathetic judge thinks that Andy needs to be prosecuted not persecuted.  He and his family have suffered enough.  EXCUSE ME!!!  What about the thousands of people who lost their jobs?  Their life savings and retirement?  They will be suffering the rest of their lives trying to make up what they lost, what they already worked for.  People who do this kind of crap should be stripped of all their possessions and savings.  They should be given a minimum wage job for thirty years and be required to pay 25% of their earnings for that time period back to the people they stole it from.  Here let me give you your new job handbook. . . . .DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT??!!

Well I'm just getting warmed up here.  Last week I signed a petition to impeach G. W. Bush.  It's not lying about a blow job anymore.  This is a blatant lie, a power grab, and total disregard of the constitution that is costing lives.  Does anyone else see the disparity between the two lies?  (Sorry I don't remember which political website I found it on)  I also fired off an e-mail telling my representatives that wire taps should be backed by a warrant.  (I got that on the Contact Congress button in the gutter.  They will also send updates to your e-mail on what bills are coming up for vote and how your reps voted on them)  Did you know they are actually voting on making it illegal to build tunnels into this country?  Is this really necessary? 

Paula accepted the label of radical over a bumper sticker opposing the war and some goading comments from a co-worker.  I don't believe that label for a minute.  She's no more a radical than I am.  Hey lady, slap that puppy on my forehead!  I oppose this war.  I oppose this administration.  I am not afraid of the word radical.  If Dubya was applying the labels, I'm sure he'd call me a traitor or a terrorist conspirator.  How dare anyone question his authority.  (Visit John-Ward Leighton for a good assessment of "right" authority)  Anyone remember Salem, Mass.?  How about Nazi Germany?  What happens when someone points at you and says, "you are a terrorist"?  Do the police show up in the middle of the night and take you away?  Why not? If they think you are a terrorist, they can tap your phones without a warrant.  They can take you to the secret jail, keep you there forever, never give you legal representation, never bring you to trial.  They can interrogate you vigorously now.  Our representatives made the law that makes it so.  Where do we draw the line?

Shouldn't the measure of a good leader be the betterment of the people he serves???  Michelle had a link to the Fox News interview of Clinton.  I missed it the first time.  Now there is a smart man.  He defended himself against a sneaky backhanded attack without resorting to name calling.  Unless you consider "hawk" or "neocon" bad words, he didn't directly attack our current President individually, just his critics.   He stated his position on terrorism and his hunt for Bin Laden and accepted responsibility for the failure to catch him.  What he has been doing since he left office is really impressive.  I think it says and does much more to counteract terrorism than the current course this country is following.  We know the effects the "war on terror" is really having, there's a nifty report out that confirms what most of us already knew.

What is really interesting about this interview are Clinton's views on changing what is wrong here at home.  He suggests we don't take our fears to the voting booths at election time.  Now where have I heard that before?

Ok! Enough already.  My head didn't explode but I'm tired of this garbage cluttering up my mind.  I can't take the news.  It's making me sick.  Three school incidents in the last three days.  Stop this madness.  I'm going to put my head in that hole I dug.

Oh here is the e-mail reply I got from Rick Santorum on warranted wire taps:



Dear Mrs. Machnics:



Thank you for contacting me regarding the National Security Agency's classified terrorist surveillance program.  I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views.



On December 16, 2005, The New York Times reported that President Bush had authorized the National Security Agency (NSA), in certain cases of suspected al Qaeda activity, to conduct national security wiretaps outside of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts.  The President authorized the program days after the September 11th terrorist attacks.



Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) (P.L. 95-511) in 1978 to establish a framework for obtaining foreign intelligence related to espionage or terrorism through the use of electronic surveillance.  Under P.L. 95-511, the President, through the U.S. Attorney General, may authorize electronic surveillance to obtain foreign intelligence for up to one year without a court order if certain criteria are met and certified in writing under oath.  You may be interested to know Section 109 of FISA authorizes bypassing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court if "authorized by statute." 



As you may know, on March 16, 2006, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania introduced S. 2453, the National Security Surveillance Act of 2006.  This measure would provide a means of Congressional approval for the NSA wiretapping program, and modernize elements of FISA to address the latest technologies in surveillance.  On September 13, 2006, S. 2453 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 10-8.  The bill awaits action by the full Senate.  Should the full Senate consider S. 2453, I will be sure to keep your views in mind. 



Please be assured that I understand your concerns.  As we face new threats and tactics never seen before, we must continue to be vigilant of the civil liberties enumerated to us in the Constitution.  However, I believe that the President must have all options available to him under the law at a time when terrorist cells are developing within our communities and threatening our beliefs and values.  It is my belief that the NSA program is narrowly focused and targeted at terrorists.  I understand that the program only applies to communications where one party is located outside of the United States, and communications are only intercepted if there is a reasonable basis to believe that one party to the communication is a member of or affiliated with al Qaeda. 

 

Nonetheless, it is proper for Congress to conduct its oversight role, and, where necessary, exercise its legislative powers.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has held three hearings on the issue, and any legislation relating to the NSA wiretapping program will received serious consideration by the full Senate.  Please be assured that I will continue to monitor this situation. 



Thank you again for contacting me.  If I can be of assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to call on me again.

Sincerely,



Rick Santorum

United States Senate

I admit it's a very nice letter and I agree there should be oversight.  Isn't that what a warrant is for?  Suspicion + probable cause = warrant?  The only thing I don't agree with is where I Bolded the text in his letter.  As I said before, I'm not afraid of some "terrorist" popping out from under our own beds.  And I'm not carrying this fear to the voting booth with me.  I hope you won't either.

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