When do "We the People of the United States" take back our country?

Congress passes $70 billion tax cut, for the wealthy.

NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls, that is NOT spying on the citizens of America.

Illegal Immigration (see any of thousands of reports) is to be allowed, when citizens lose more and more of their rights and freedoms every day.

At what point does it become necessary for the modern citizens to exercise the duty bestowed upon them by the Founding Fathers? The Declaration of Independence states (emphasis mine):

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great- Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.


The first point made (speaking of their King George, coincidence??? hmmm.) is:

HE has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

Hasn't it come to light in the past weeks that our President will just disobey any law that he doesn't agree with (From the Boston Globe, full story here):

Bush challenges hundreds of laws
President cites powers of his office

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | April 30, 2006

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.


Is this what we want from our elected officials? I say "NO", resoundingly and loudly. Too much is is at stake to let all of our rights to be taken from us, a little at a time. We must do something. I am not advocating a violent overthrow of our existing government as happened in the Revolution, but some way must be found to return the government to the people and not leave it in the hands of the wealthy, lobbyists, PACs, business, etc.

What I hear, from varied sources is the same; disillusionment, disappointment, discouragement, disgust and a sense of fear that we are leading up to a civil war in this country. All of this resentment is over what the government is doing to we citizens in the name of National Security, the (undeclared) War on Terrorism, the search for Bin Laden/al Quaeda, and making more money for his friends.

Where will it stop? Will it stop? Will George leave office at the end of his term? There is a provision that I and many others think that he will try to exercise, in effect allowing George to retain the office of President while the country is at war. Even though it is not really a war, having never been lawfully declared by Congress. George thinks we are in World War III (another and another), and he is just the man to run it.

We need to rethink our entire country, it is all out of control.

Running out of time, will post more when able.

Tech Update

In Tech news today: What's the next security threat? from c|net news. Another article that shows the importance of using and maintaining a firewall. It also underscores the need for adware/spyware protection and being vigilant in NOT responding to requests for information received in email that would expose your personal information. Read it.

We should be ashamed.....

Read the above article, this lady is not being helped by the police, she is BEING ARRESTED



Well, it seems that we have sunk about as low as possible. Really, prosecuting a group of grandmothers for exercising their Constitutionally protected rights. What next America????

Isn't it just about time for we citizens to take the country back?

My portrait

Time for George et al. to go

Please read this article: US steps up plans for possible Iran attack: report

Are you as incensed about this as I am? If you aren't, you should be. Since when does the United States of America launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes?? This is simply unthinkable. Where does this administration think (I know that it doesn't most of the time) it can get away with tactical nukes in a strike in Iran that will not draw retaliation from every single person in the world? Not to mention the nuclear retaliation WE would be under from every country possessing nukes? Or what about the precedent it would set? If the US can launch nukes against Iran, then India and Pakistan can have a little nuclear border skirmish, and the US wouldn't be able to say anything about it. Or China could drop a couple little nukes on Tibet, just to bring them back into line. Or, France could nuke their own citizens, just for protesting against a labor law. Where would it end? Would it end? Only when the earth was a smoldering cinder.

Having grown up under mutually assured destruction in the Cold War, and living in very close proximity to a Nike Site in my youth (less than a mile in a straight line), I know that I don't want to go back to living under that possible mushroom cloud.

I think it's time for the people of this country to march, en masse, on Washington and demand that the administration step down. From George on down, just get them out of office and control of the country. Haven't we been lied to, scrutinized, manipulated, screwed and taxed enough for ONE administration? Now, if we don't step up and take a stand, we will be even more of a pariah state than we already are. How much further down the road to complete destruction of the country will we allow this man to take us?

Death of a Small Town - Washington PA

Death of a Small Town - Washington PA

Here is a new blog from someone who can think!!!!

Anyone in the Washington, PA area should read this and get involved!!!!!

Back again

OK, so I haven't posted anything in a long time. Sue me. I'm back now and I may even keep posting, if I have something to say.

I'm at work now and it's our End of Year. What fun. Not too much happening but that's good.

Security update

Well, I just read an article that I think everyone should read. Click here for the article. Read the Talkback comments too, this just applies to Windows users. If this is not frightening enough for the average person to seriously think about switching operating systems, then I don't know what will do it. No matter what you do on the Net, you need to have a lot of defenses up so that your computer, personal information, identity, life is/are not hijacked.

I know my computers (the ones that I have personally, and the ones that the responsibility has fallen to me to maintain (family, friends, etc.)) are firewalled, anti-virused, anti-spywared, etc out the wazoo. This still does not keep them completely safe. Anyone who goes to a website that contains any kind of questionable content on it is at risk of downloading a malicious program, or having a 'browse-by' download happen. This doesn't take into account the email scams, phishing, attachments and all of the other crap that we have come to regard as the 'norm' in our online lives.

I admit, I am an advocate of “Anything But Microsoft”. Let's get that out of the way right now. If I didn't have to see/use/hear about anything having to do with MS and Windows ever again, I'd be a happier camper. Unfortunately, I live in the real world. Linux, MAC OS, Solaris, UNIX, the BDS's and the rest of the alternative OS's are far superior to Win, but the mainstream public, and industry/business are for the most part MS centric. Even our public schools are MS centric. Try sending a child to school with anything other than MS experience and see what happens. I use Opera as my browser of choice, and have raised my kids and wife to use and prefer it. We used to use Netscape (way back when), but for the past 6 or 7 years it's been Opera. The kids are forced to use Internet Explorer in school, along with the plethora of MS products that are out there. The only reason IE is even on my computers is so that I can perform Windows Updates. Otherwise I would break its functionality. A fall-back if Opera is unable to open/display a page (rare), or the web-designer has used too many IE specific coding is Firefox. Ask at your school if they have ever heard of anything that isn't MS. I'll bet you get a deer-in-the-hedalights-look.

So, what are our options?

Change the operating system you use. This isn't as hard as you think. Linux on the desktop has come a long way in the past couple of years. Just about everyone knows a geek they can ask for help too. The learning curve is a little steep, but if all you're going to do is browse the web, email, word processing, etc. (the basics), then Linux and a little time can save you a lot of headaches and money (from the constant MS/spyware/adware upgrades).
1a. Move to MAC OS. This falls under changing OS type, but also right now, under a hardware change. MAC OS is based on a UNIX variant called BSD. It is inherently better and safer than MS. The learning curve isn't as steep as Linux, but the hardware costs are a little more, especially if you're not planning to upgrade anytime soon.

Become a security expert and keep up with all of the changes in bad/malicious programs and how you can stop them at your front door. This is a lot harder and time consuming than it is worth most of the time. I do try to keep up with computer security issues, but not being an expert, it is hard and becoming harder every day.

Firewall your computer/network. A hardware firewall in conjunction with a software firewall on each computer is the best bet. Have any old computer sitting around? Install SmoothWall on it and the free ZoneAlarm firewall on each computer you have. READ the manuals, help files and any other documentation you have to familiarize yourself with the programs and get to know how to use them and what is/isn't a threat.

Install, use, and keep these programs up to date. Use them religiously:

AdAware
SpyBot Search and Destroy
AntiVir Personal Edition Classic

Either that, or you can stop connecting to the Internet.

Sorry that this post meanders so much. My mind works at about 1000% that my fingers can type.

Random thought

I can end this whole Darwinism/Evolution vs. Intelligent design/Creationism debate right here and now. Look at our fearful leader G.W. If that isn't proof that intelligence wasn't in the design, then nothing is. It also goes to prove that not everyone is at the same level of evolution...

A workday rant

NO, I will NOT fix your computer!

God, I'd love to say those words to some people! Working in a corporation and having to deal with people who shouldn't be near anything more technical that a dishrag can be frustrating, to say the very least. At most, you KNOW why some people go postal. And it's not just for the notoriety, but the satisfaction (I can only imagine...). OK, OK, I'm kidding. Geez...some people. I don't have these violent fantasies, but sometimes you have to wonder.

Why does anyone accept a job and then not know the least little thing about working with the equipment? Who hires these people too, that's another question. I know that in our HR dept., technology is a long way from something they're familiar with. So I guess it's not surprising that the people they hire couldn't find the button side of a mouse. But still...in this day and age, shouldn't the least familiarity with a computer be something that is expected when applying for or hiring for an open position. Especially when you're going to be sitting in front of that computer for most of your work day. Maybe sitting in front of is the operable phrase here, not using or trying to understand what that box actually does. Or how you have to remember your password, and IT WILL CHANGE occasionally. Then, you have to remember the NEW one for a period of time. Is that so hard to figure out????

Can you tell my work days are positive and fulfilling????

Background Info...

OK, so I guess a little background might be useful. I turned 'The Answer to The Ultimate Question Of Life, the Universe, and Everything' this year. Meaning that I was born at the ass-end of the baby boom, and I have been referred to that many times in the course of my life. And, I guess I've always been a geek, even when I didn't know it. If the above doesn't explain it, then I don't know what does.

Anyway, I'm in my second marriage (yes, some geeks DO indeed have the social skills needed to attract a mate), my longest term of employment for a single entity (over 7 years and counting), my first house, and my last nerve. So much happens so fast these days. Who can keep up? It's these modern conveniences that make our lives so much easier that take away all of the time that our forebears had in seeming abundance. If you're reading THIS, then you know exactly what I mean. If the 60's ands 70's had Television as the 'boob tube', then the PC has morphed into just that for us. Hell, when I got my first personal computer (Commodore64), no one saw me after I got home from work, then when I moved into the PC stage, and had a modem, no one saw me at all.

I'd leave my computer operations job (mainframes) and go home, fire up the PC, and surf the bulletin boards all morning, I work midnights so just call me Drac. From BBS's to the Internet, I've been a slave to the computer at work and home for a LONG time.

Enough for now, I have to actually start my job for the night.

Inaugural post

Well here is my experiment into whether anyone is interested in reading and/or commenting on the semi-coherent, semi-literate ramblings of a self-professed geek. I can't promise any kind of frequent updates or any life altering wisdom, but it just might be fun to tag along every now and then as I let my mind out for a stroll.

Hope you enjoy the ride...