You are only paranoid when people aren't out to get you. So this isn't paranoia, it's fear of Big Brother because his really IS watching!! This is what starts a police state. It doesn't start with a bang, but a whimper (to steal a few words from a T.S. Eiliot poem) For example, I've always figured that nobody would ever want to watch me or listen to my conversations. After all, I'm really very dull. Except for those rare nights I have a few shots and dance in my jammies in front of the tv set, I have a milk & cookies existence. Yet over the past few years I've joined a couple of political action groups and signed my name to several letters that could possibly be considered anti-government. I've watched many shows and read several magazines that make jokes about President Bush. Examples:

"An aide to the prime minister of Canada called President Bush a moron. Well that's not fair. Here's a guy who never worked a day in his life, got rich off his Dad's money, lost the popular vote and ended up president. That's not a moron, that's genius!" —Jay Leno

"I thought this was interesting if you look at it comparatively. President Bush sneaked quietly into Baghdad and nobody knew about it. ... Bill Clinton, on the other hand, sneaks into an intern and everybody knows about it." --David Letterman

"You were in Baghdad for six hours. You weren't even in the real Baghdad. You were in the Green Zone. That's like going to the Olive Garden and saying you've been to Italy." --Jon Stewart

"It took his brother, his father, his father's friends, the Florida secretary of state, and the Supreme Court to pull it off. His entire life gives fresh meaning to the phrase 'assisted living.'" Garry Trudeau (New Yorker)

I was thinking about using this as a Christmas card:

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/georgewbush/ig/100-Bush-Pictures/Bush-Pope-Santa.--3g.htm

(go to image 3 if it doesn't link)

So I guess if someone wants to listen in on my phone calls, read my mail or follow my web activity, that would be for the greater good of our country. They can call it whatever they want, but they'd still be doing what Rick said, circumventing the Bill of Rights. At least the last guy only fooled around with a page. This one is screwing with millions of lives and his stain will be around a lot longer than a small spot on a blue dress.

What is the source of these "facts", other than theoretical musings or fringe-left conspiracy theory web sites?

The nice thing about Konane's posts (and mine whenever I remember) is that they include a link at the bottom with the source of the information, so people can judge for themselves the validity of the source.

I don't know if LP went down at 7:17 but I just lost a very, very long answer with lots of links. I don't want to spend another hour writing. I thought I copied it onto my word processor, but it's missing. I'm very disappointed. Maybe another time.

saw a funny bumper sticker today      COMPOST BUSH

Lets us not forget Kent State.

Todd,

Facts? The Military Commission Act of 2006 is a fact. No links needed, no "left-wing fringe websites" needed. Pure common sense and a rudimentary understanding of the English language is all it takes to read the law and make a judgement.

I don't agree with your political viewpoints either Todd, however I do grant you the respect that you are able to formulate and voice your own opinions. Please grant me that respect as well.

Todd, I saw it on 20/20. In fact it was entitled "Big Brother is Watching You" It scared the hell out of me when they mentioned that because of terrorist threats, police enforcement, insurance companies that a LAW might be established to make ALL VEHICLES come equipped with GPS systems.

The Pledge of Allegiance

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I am trying to see where it says "I pledge allegiance to President George W. Bush"
Basically, what he is saying is that anyone who disagrees with government policy is not an American or a friend of America and does not have basic rights. This "Torture Bill" isn't about national security. It's about treating anyone who MIGHT be the enemy AS the enemy without having to prove he really IS the enemy. That's dangerous. I always loved this country. It represented a place where everyone is free to express himself without fear of punishment. I am truly sad to be an American today.

"No matter how paranoid you think you are, you are not paranoid enough." X-Files

Unlike others, I write my own opinions. They can be taken as such just as a New York Times editorial or a Chicago Tribune Voice of the People piece. On one occasion in all of my blog entries at LP I posted an article written by someone else and I credited that author as such with a link. All readers were able to see the source and make their own judgements. Everything else is 100% mine. To say my opinions are based upon what I read on "left-wing fringe websites" is an insult to my intelligence and I take offense. My opinions come from my heart, are well thought out and are not spoon-fed drivel from some media outlet, right-wing, left-wing or broken-wing. I am me, and nothing can take that away from me. If you are looking for footnotes and links, skip my blog, they won't be here. I'm not writing to prove anything, I'm writing to express my opinions.   

To write two sentences of opinion backed by three pages of different articles from websites corroborating that opinion do not necessarily make it a better blog or a factual blog. Links don't mean squat. Individual thought, assimilation of ideas and expression does.

So when I ask for proof of your so-called "facts", I am insulting your intelligence and not allowing you to express your opinion? The only "fact" I can see here is that there are an overwhelming number of Bush-haters and conservative-haters postign here, and Konane and I are the only ones posting about conservative values. Your big group against little old us two, and you get all bothered about "assimilation of ideas"? No, my friend, it is you who can not stand the idea of somebody who thinks differently, just like all those people who scream about Fox News, when it is the one single TV station broadcasting fair news in an ocean of liberal propaganda posing as news. The fact that even one such station (or in this case two such bloggers) exists is too much of a threat to the comfort zone of illogic you sit in.

Todd the reason people hate Bush is because we currantly have 2781 Dead Soldiers
http://icasualties.org/oif/US_chart.aspx

fighting in a war created under false pretense of WMD in Iraq, none were found
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2129-2005Jan11.html

Iraq has the second largest oil field in the world

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aairaqioil.htm
President Bush is from an oil rich family, Vice President Cheney former CEO Haliburtan the largest field service oil company .

http://www.opensecrets.org/bush/cabinet.asp

Their are people out their Todd, who can cannot the dots, and realize the President and the Vice President of the United States, used the citizens of this country, to enrich their bank accounts, and don't give a damn about the rest of us. Links are included.

bambini,

It is a common device of Bush-haters to somehow say that he went to war in order to get wealthy from oil. Maybe you can document exactly how he is getting this wealth?

Please don't point to Dick Cheney, because being a former CEO of Haliburton (which is actually quite a good and important company, if you are not one merely looking to make it the next "F" word to slander Bush with) does not make him wealthy from Iraq either, from anything I have seen.

You can repeat all of those things a thousand times (and you no doubt have), but it does not make them true.

Any reasonable, logical person woudl conclude Bush's motives are completely from the heart, weather you agree with them or not, whereas someone like Hillary or Bill Clinton actually have provable money-making schemes that they have used their positions to enrich themselves with. I have never heard of George Bush or Dick Cheney making $100,000 off of a $1,000 investment, but that is something that Hillary Clinton has done.

Bush's family IS from Texas, and they HAVE made money in the oil business. So, can you please explain the bad part about that? You and other liberals act like they're selling drugs. Do you ride a bike to work every day, or do you drive a car? How exactly would you drive your car without the oil companies?

And yes, please explain exactly how George Bush is making money from the Iraq war, because if you can explain that, it would solve a big mystery for me. (I'm sure he'd appreciate the advice as well.)

Rick, this is the REAL stuff the feds are ferreting out on the web, not regular people expressing their dislike for the administration and it's policies. BTW in the event anyone wonders I don't listen to FoxNews because I don't have cable. What I dig up is done the old fashioned way off the web, search and read.

"Tosa grocery store clerk charged in stadium hoax threat
Man, 20, posted "targets" on the Internet
Associated Press
Posted: Oct. 20, 2006
Newark, NJ - A Wisconsin grocery store clerk described as artsy and quiet surrendered Friday on charges in an Internet hoax threatening a ''dirty bomb'' plot against U.S. football stadiums, federal authorities said."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=521264

Konane, thanks for the info on the stadium threats. Been too busy today to watch FOX...lol...(joke, my friends). But speaking of Fox, it has become my favorite channel for nightime TV. Prison Break, 24...lot of good stuff.

I like "Bones" and "House." :-)

Konane, I watch those too.