Just Because I'm Paranoid...

doesn't mean they aren't out to get us. I know I've been a bit of a pansy with regard to our civil rights - you know how I rant about the Patriot Act and re-writing the Constitution and all. This government scares me, and I'm pretty much equally horrified by the fact that it doesn't scare everyone. But brother, if the past couple of weeks hasn't made you nervous, you'd better take your pulse.

Exhibit A - HR 1955 or the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act” which flew through our House of non-Representatives by 404-6 and will probably slide right through the Senate with equivalent ease. The bill creates a commission with sweeping investigative power and a mandate to propose laws prohibiting whatever the commission labels “homegrown terrorism,”defined as “planned” or “threatened” use of force to coerce the government or the people in the promotion of “political or social objectives.” No force need actually have occurred as long as the government charges that the individual or group thought about doing it. I'm homegrown terrorist all the way as I'm constantly 'threatening' people with the loss of their humanity if they don't wake up and call for an end to this ridiculous and immoral war, a social objective if I ever heard one. Please write to me in prison. (By the way, good old Dennis Kucinich was one of the six Reps. who voted nay.)

Exhibit B - Look - up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a unmanned aircraft to spy on ordinary American citizens! Yes, in Houston (leave it to Texas!) the regular old police department is acquiring drones to watch your every move. After a super secret test flight was caught on tape by local news investigators (wow, I thought they were extinct!) the executive assistant police chief gave a hasty press conference saying that the drones would be used for "mobility" or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also "tactical." These adorable mini spyplanes were developed by Insitu, Inc. a Washington state based company. Since we Washingtonians are all over buying local... I'm willing to bet our cops have some serious drone envy. And I'm curling up in a fetal position with my blankie....