November 5, 2008
The Day America Embraced Socialism
On Tuesday, November 04, 2008, America officially embraced Socialism. During much of 2008 government has made sharp intrusions into the private lives of Americans. On Election Day, America had the opportunity to reject or accept this trend. Collectively, America has chosen to accept the march toward Socialism by electing candidates who openly espouse these principles. Most Notably, Barack Obama is a man who is extremely liberal and has been unabashedly Socialist throughout his political career. Now that the voters of America have given Barack Obama their strong support in the form of decisive election victory, America has consciously chosen to embrace Socialism. For all intents and purposes, America is now a Socialist nation. With regards to the American spirit of freedom, this is one of the darkest days in the history of the country. We are the generation of Americans who witnessed liberty die to the sound of thunderous applause.
November 4, 2008
America’s Second Black President
Congratulations to America for electing its second Black President. This honor was first earned by President Bill Clinton, who was elected in 1992. The honorable title was later awarded to President Clinton by, prominent Black author, Toni Morrison in the October 1998 issue of The New Yorker. For the last ten years, the phrase has been repeated over and over and has become one of Bill Clinton’s greatest accomplishments and legacies. Not to be outdone, Barack Obama has now followed in the footsteps of the great Black pioneer from Arkansas. Congratulations, Barack Obama, for becoming America’s second Black President. This is another great moment in history.
October 9, 2008
NSA Listens in on Phone Sex of Troops and Other Americans
The NSA has long been conducting warrantless eavesdropping on innocent American citizens, but things have taken another uncomfortable turn. According to ABC News, NSA whistleblowers are saying NSA employees are using recordings of intercepted phone calls as entertainment.
When travelers, journalists, contract workers, US troops, etc. call their families and friends in America from overseas, the NSA may listen in on the phone call. Sometimes the phone calls are about everyday matters like paying the mortgage and family illnesses, but sometimes the calls are of an intimate nature. Sometimes, couples who have been separated for months miss each other and engage in steamy intimate phone play. Apparently, these calls can get quite entertaining, because NSA employees are allegedly passing recording of these calls around like virtual trading cards.
Imagine if you were overseas and called home to engage in an intimate conversation with your spouse. How would you feel to see a group of NSA employees sitting around laughing about your intimate moments?
This is yet another offense in a long line of government intrusions into the private lives of honest Americans. This abuse of privacy also reveals that the work of the NSA must not be as critical as we are told. If the NSA is diligently monitoring the communications of terrorists, how do they have the time to sit around listening to Americans having phone sex? Every minute those voyeuristic perverts at the NSA spend listening to meaningless ear candy is another minute they cannot be spending listening to terrorists.
When travelers, journalists, contract workers, US troops, etc. call their families and friends in America from overseas, the NSA may listen in on the phone call. Sometimes the phone calls are about everyday matters like paying the mortgage and family illnesses, but sometimes the calls are of an intimate nature. Sometimes, couples who have been separated for months miss each other and engage in steamy intimate phone play. Apparently, these calls can get quite entertaining, because NSA employees are allegedly passing recording of these calls around like virtual trading cards.
Imagine if you were overseas and called home to engage in an intimate conversation with your spouse. How would you feel to see a group of NSA employees sitting around laughing about your intimate moments?
This is yet another offense in a long line of government intrusions into the private lives of honest Americans. This abuse of privacy also reveals that the work of the NSA must not be as critical as we are told. If the NSA is diligently monitoring the communications of terrorists, how do they have the time to sit around listening to Americans having phone sex? Every minute those voyeuristic perverts at the NSA spend listening to meaningless ear candy is another minute they cannot be spending listening to terrorists.
September 17, 2008
Saggy Pants Fuss
Riviera Beach, FL sure is spending a lot of time and resources on
this saggy pants ordinance. It's a shame bin Laden isn't into
hip-hop fashion. We probably would have snagged him by now.
this saggy pants ordinance. It's a shame bin Laden isn't into
hip-hop fashion. We probably would have snagged him by now.
August 28, 2008
Time for Some Campaignin' by JibJab
JibJab has made a funny and smart video about the 2008 election to the tune of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'." See it here.
"Time for Some Campaignin'"
"Time for Some Campaignin'"
August 26, 2008
The Tale of the Homeless Man, the Little Girl, and the Political Parties
A little girl was walking home from school one day. She passed a homeless man who was sitting on the sidewalk. He looked gaunt, so the girl asked, “Mister, you look hungry. Are you okay?”
The homeless man responded, “I am very hungry. Would you mind walking down to that fruit stand and getting some food for me?”
The little girl replied, “I would, but I don’t have any money.”
The homeless guy replied, “Don’t worry about that. Just go take the food. The owner is rich. He shouldn’t mind if you take a little to feed someone in need.”
The girl walked down to the fruit stand, swiped some apples, slipped them into her Hello Kitty backpack, and brought them to the homeless guy. The man munched on the apples and thanked her.
The little girl said, “This worked well. You were hungry, the rich owner of the fruit stand had plenty of food, I got some for you, and it didn’t cost us anything.”
The homeless guy swallowed and replied, “Welcome to the Green Party.”
The little Green Party girl came home and told her mother what had happened. The mother was bothered that her daughter was stealing food for homeless people, so she suggested her daughter come up with better ideas.
The next day, the little girl excitedly told her mother, “I have a great idea. I will go to everyone in the neighborhood and collect money from each house. I can then use the money to buy food for the homeless man.”
The mother replied, “Welcome to the Reform Party.”
The little Reform Party girl went door-to-door attempting to collect money for the homeless man, but very few people wanted to donate. One of her neighbors could see the girl was discouraged, so he suggested, “Don’t be upset. Not everybody has extra money to give.”
A smile came over the girl’s face, and she exclaimed, “I know. I will just go to the big houses to ask for money! The people in the big houses have lots of extra money to buy food for the homeless man.”
The neighbor grinned and replied, “Welcome to the Democratic Party.”
The little girl tried to collect money from the people in the big houses, but many of them were not home because they were out working. In frustration, the little girl gave up and walked down the street to her father’s hardware store.
When she walked into the store, her father noticed she was sad. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
She replied, “Daddy, I have been trying to collect money to buy food for a homeless man, but most of the people are out working or not willing to give me money. Maybe I should tell the homeless guy to start working. Then he would have enough money to buy his own food.”
The little girl’s father replied, “Welcome to the Republican Party.”
Later, the father drove his little Republican daughter home. She was surprised to see a black Suburban and six agents from the National Security Agency in her front yard. The burly lead agent yanked the little girl from her car and informed the child that the "homeless" man she was helping was a suspected threat to national security.
The frightened little girl was then questioned for an hour about her plans to finance the suspect's activities through an unauthorized fundraising/money-laundering scheme. The agent added that the little girl had been under 24-hour surveillance and a continuous wiretap since her initial contact with the suspicious homeless man.
The little girl asked the imposing agent if he had a warrant for all of these intrusions on her Fourth Amendment rights. The agent chuckled, confiscated her Hello Kitty backpack, and marched back to his black Suburban. The other five agents simultaneously scattered and disappeared into the hedges, trees, and flowerbeds around the girl's house.
As the NSA agent pulled away in his black Suburban, the terrified little girl asked, "Daddy, if the Federal government wants to intimidate me and invade my privacy, shouldn't they have to get a warrant first?"
Just then, the girl’s older brother pulled up on his bicycle and said, "Welcome to the Libertarian Party."
The homeless man responded, “I am very hungry. Would you mind walking down to that fruit stand and getting some food for me?”
The little girl replied, “I would, but I don’t have any money.”
The homeless guy replied, “Don’t worry about that. Just go take the food. The owner is rich. He shouldn’t mind if you take a little to feed someone in need.”
The girl walked down to the fruit stand, swiped some apples, slipped them into her Hello Kitty backpack, and brought them to the homeless guy. The man munched on the apples and thanked her.
The little girl said, “This worked well. You were hungry, the rich owner of the fruit stand had plenty of food, I got some for you, and it didn’t cost us anything.”
The homeless guy swallowed and replied, “Welcome to the Green Party.”
The little Green Party girl came home and told her mother what had happened. The mother was bothered that her daughter was stealing food for homeless people, so she suggested her daughter come up with better ideas.
The next day, the little girl excitedly told her mother, “I have a great idea. I will go to everyone in the neighborhood and collect money from each house. I can then use the money to buy food for the homeless man.”
The mother replied, “Welcome to the Reform Party.”
The little Reform Party girl went door-to-door attempting to collect money for the homeless man, but very few people wanted to donate. One of her neighbors could see the girl was discouraged, so he suggested, “Don’t be upset. Not everybody has extra money to give.”
A smile came over the girl’s face, and she exclaimed, “I know. I will just go to the big houses to ask for money! The people in the big houses have lots of extra money to buy food for the homeless man.”
The neighbor grinned and replied, “Welcome to the Democratic Party.”
The little girl tried to collect money from the people in the big houses, but many of them were not home because they were out working. In frustration, the little girl gave up and walked down the street to her father’s hardware store.
When she walked into the store, her father noticed she was sad. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
She replied, “Daddy, I have been trying to collect money to buy food for a homeless man, but most of the people are out working or not willing to give me money. Maybe I should tell the homeless guy to start working. Then he would have enough money to buy his own food.”
The little girl’s father replied, “Welcome to the Republican Party.”
Later, the father drove his little Republican daughter home. She was surprised to see a black Suburban and six agents from the National Security Agency in her front yard. The burly lead agent yanked the little girl from her car and informed the child that the "homeless" man she was helping was a suspected threat to national security.
The frightened little girl was then questioned for an hour about her plans to finance the suspect's activities through an unauthorized fundraising/money-laundering scheme. The agent added that the little girl had been under 24-hour surveillance and a continuous wiretap since her initial contact with the suspicious homeless man.
The little girl asked the imposing agent if he had a warrant for all of these intrusions on her Fourth Amendment rights. The agent chuckled, confiscated her Hello Kitty backpack, and marched back to his black Suburban. The other five agents simultaneously scattered and disappeared into the hedges, trees, and flowerbeds around the girl's house.
As the NSA agent pulled away in his black Suburban, the terrified little girl asked, "Daddy, if the Federal government wants to intimidate me and invade my privacy, shouldn't they have to get a warrant first?"
Just then, the girl’s older brother pulled up on his bicycle and said, "Welcome to the Libertarian Party."
July 10, 2008
Surveillance Bill Dissolves Rights of Americans
Thanks to the House of Representatives and the US Senate, we are now one signature away from losing more rights and privacy. The Surveillance Bill gives greater power to the Federal government’s initiatives to spy on law-abiding Americans without court approval. It also grants protection to companies, which comply with the Federal government in violating your rights. In short, the government wants to continue to spy on you and give you little recourse, if any.
President George W. Bush is likely to sign this Surveillance Bill and continue an era where you as a private citizen may be put under intrusive investigation without a warrant. And, by the way, the surveillance warrants are available. The Bush administration just does not want to be troubled with requesting them through proper channels. Apparently, convenience trumps your Fourth Amendment rights.
President George W. Bush is likely to sign this Surveillance Bill and continue an era where you as a private citizen may be put under intrusive investigation without a warrant. And, by the way, the surveillance warrants are available. The Bush administration just does not want to be troubled with requesting them through proper channels. Apparently, convenience trumps your Fourth Amendment rights.
May 11, 2006
NSA Is Tracking Domestic Phone Calls
Leslie Cauley of USA Today is reporting that the National Security Agency is collecting the domestic and international phone call records of most Americans. AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth are voluntary participants in the program and are federally compensated for surrendering the call records of ordinary Americans, even if those not suspected of any crime. At this point, Qwest is refusing to turn over call records to the NSA without a court order.
The NSA claims to want the information to build a database that will allow them to perform highly detailed analyses of America’s calling habits. The NSA contends that the measure is to increase national security.
Unless you are a Qwest customer, the NSA probably knows the time and date of every phone call you have made from your home, cell phone, office, etc. for the last few years. They also know the number you called and the number you called from. With that information, a simple query of public records can reveal your name and address as well as the name and address of the person you called.
You can read the entire article here.
The NSA claims to want the information to build a database that will allow them to perform highly detailed analyses of America’s calling habits. The NSA contends that the measure is to increase national security.
Unless you are a Qwest customer, the NSA probably knows the time and date of every phone call you have made from your home, cell phone, office, etc. for the last few years. They also know the number you called and the number you called from. With that information, a simple query of public records can reveal your name and address as well as the name and address of the person you called.
You can read the entire article here.
April 6, 2006
Great Political Abyss Atom/RSS Feed
The syndication (Atom/RSS) feed for Great Political Abyss is http://greatpoliticalabyss.blogspot.com/atom.xml.
February 19, 2006
Chicago Mayor Daley Wants Surveillance Cameras at Private Businesses
Chicago Mayor, Richard Daley wants to require surveillance cameras at private businesses that stay open late like bars, clubs, convenience stores, etc. The only thing worse than a politician who wants to spy on the public with cameras is the public that allows it. Haven’t we seen enough science-fiction movies to know that ubiquitous video surveillance is a bad idea?
Click the following link to read the article.
"Daley Wants Security Cameras at Bars"
Click the following link to read the article.
"Daley Wants Security Cameras at Bars"
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