do you feel paranoid?

Seems that big brother is having a banner year. Spying today is a growth industry. No, I'm not talking about spying on splinter cells of some terrorist plot, but spying on groups that promote peace or a clean environment. Yes, they are watching what you do, what you say, even what you tweet.

This article gives a little history and a few important documents to read to understand spying in the post 9/11 world.

Keep on keeping on but remember, you aren't a true citizen unless you are on a watch list.
Posted on Dreamwidth

How to vote as a true 'Christian'...

Focus on the Family has some guidelines...(I added a little more explanation.)

Does the candidate have a Christian world-view? (Does he support a theocracy in the United States?)

Is he pro-life?  (...notice they as 'he' ... is it that they think men should control women's reproductive rights?)

Does she/he firmly support God’s definition of marriage, and does she oppose civil unions that give marriage benefits to same-sex couples?  (...in other words, the fundies think they have a monopoly on anything even remotely like marriage)

Does he/she believe that parents, rather than the state, have ultimate say over what a child learns in school?  (you want your child to be as dumb as the parents)  (... if they don't like their children to learn to ask questions, put them in private schools, just don't ask me to pay for it)

Is she hostile toward or silent on matters of faith? (if you aren't saying 'God bless' every 5 minutes or evagelizinf on a street corner, you are not 'Chrisitian' enough.)

More advice...

Political Parties matter. (....there is omly one party, the GOP and that stands for God's Own Party)  You like the platform and values of a local candidate who’s running with the party you typically vote against. Should you cross party lines and vote for him? Don’t forget that whichever party is in the majority has control over which bills eventually reach the floor. You’re voting for more than individual candidates; you’re voting for which party sets the agenda. (... so you vote for the GOP...)

So.... don't be a sheep... don't be lead to slaughter by the fundies.... don't be stupid and vote for Republicans.  Get a brain. GOP really means Give Oligarchs Power.
 

Posted on Dreamwidth

some observations...

A few days ago I was talking to a neighbor. He has been in agriculture for most of his life, working the fields of the Coachella Valley and other areas of the West. He said he was enjoying the sounds of birds and insects. He further said that in agricultural areas he works you don't see birds or bugs, his said the ground is so sterile there are no living things. He said it is the result of years of overuse of pesticides. He said that damage will take forever to heal, if at all.

Posted on Dreamwidth