*shakes head, rolls eyes*

We are not a Democracy. Yes, we encourage democracy, but that is not our form of government. We are a democratic Republic (another reason for loving Montesquieu). It says that in our Pledge of Alliegance for crying out loud!

"I pledge alliegance 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."

Methinks our system hath been corrupted. Majorly corrupted.

I think Senators, before they are sworn into office or whatever happens when they're elected, should have to take a test. A test on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the recently added codes. They're the ones who make laws! And pass acts! Do you know how many acts are passed in a year? And how many acts you have to know just to read one?

Seriously, I was reading the Patriot Act the other day, and I had to pull up several U.S. codes and a few acts just to read one section. It made me want to be a senatorial clerk. How fun would that be? Getting to work in Congress but not as a Senator or Representative! It's too hard to get there, so I'd just want to be a clerk. But that requires law schooling...and I don't want to be a lawyer. It's a sticky business. My dad is a lawyer (an elder law lawyer) and it's not really a fun job...not that all jobs have to be fun, but one should get a little enjoyment out of them. I guess I could get a degree in Constitutional Law but not be a lawyer...too many school-related deadlines...I'm not a deadline person. I ABHOR schedules and deadlines. They aren't bad, I just don't like them.

I tend to rabbit-trail. I know.

The only question is...do I have a gift for something like that? Yeah, I'm interested in it, but do I have skill, talent, that sort of thing in that area.

And don't let anybody tell you that the Patriot Act is discriminatory against persons of Middle-Eastern decent. It has a whole section devoted to this, and here it is:

SEC. 102. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONDEMNING DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST ARAB AND MUSLIM AMERICANS.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans
from South Asia play a vital role in our Nation and are entitled
to nothing less than the full rights of every American.
(2) The acts of violence that have been taken against Arab
and Muslim Americans since the September 11, 2001, attacks
against the United States should be and are condemned by
all Americans who value freedom.
(3) The concept of individual responsibility for wrongdoing
is sacrosanct in American society, and applies equally to all
religious, racial, and ethnic groups.
(4) When American citizens commit acts of violence against
those who are, or are perceived to be, of Arab or Muslim
descent, they should be punished to the full extent of the
law.
(5) Muslim Americans have become so fearful of harassment
that many Muslim women are changing the way they
dress to avoid becoming targets.
(6) Many Arab Americans and Muslim Americans have
acted heroically during the attacks on the United States,
including Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a 23-year-old New
Yorker of Pakistani descent, who is believed to have gone
to the World Trade Center to offer rescue assistance and is
now missing.
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans,
including Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans
from South Asia, must be protected, and that every effort
must be taken to preserve their safety;
(2) any acts of violence or discrimination against any
Americans be condemned; and
(3) the Nation is called upon to recognize the patriotism
of fellow citizens from all ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds.

So THERE.

Hah. The sense of Congress. Hahahaha...

Mark Twain had a couple (I'm sure more than a couple, but this is what I have) of things to say about Congress...

"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."

How horribly true those are to-day...although a few Senators aren't like that, the majority of them are...cowards unfit for their position.
The House is a little better though...the GOP Representatives actually act Republican.

It's the American people too. They don't know what's good for them. They haven't since the 70s. Well, that's when we started to go down-hill. Around the mid- to late 60s and the early 70s is when we lost it. All because of San Fransisco: the birthplace of most radical liberal movements.

over and out

A problem

Peope who don't understand why Anakin was, presumably, so easily induced by Senator/Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious aren't devoted Star Wars fans or don't understand the Force. "Don't under-estimate the power of the force" (said by the man himself). Anakin was not persuaded by a mere man, but by the Dark Side of the Force (a very powerful entity that can be harnessed as a tool by Jedis, good or bad). If you watch the movie again, you can see the Anakin is sometimes in a sort of trance when he's in Palpatine's presence. Yes, he did let his fears rule his life and influence his decisions (a path to the Dark Side, coincidentally) but the persuasive power of the Dark Side of the Force did have a large role in his conversion. Maybe the fact that he was, essentially, made by the Force (remember, he was created by medi-clorians) has something to do with it too.
I know, you're probably thinking "What about all he was taught and believed in, and what about his common sense..." and I'm sure the list goes on. Watch the movie again with a clear mind, neither expecting or presuming anything. If you still don't get it...I'm afraid I can't help you any further. Remember, this is George Lucas' work we're talking about here.

Let's just stick with the old movies, shall we (IV, V, VI)?

Recently...

...I have heard praise given to a Mr. Bill Clinton. This disturbed me, because I can never get over the fact that Mr. Clinton (no, I am not going to address him as President) chose not to at least get Bin Laden in custody (before 9/11) but instead refused. For Mansoor Ijaz negotiated Sudan's offer to share intelligence data on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda with the Clinton administration in April 1997. But did Clinton decide to do anything about it? Noooo. Why the heck would he? He was just as good as a figure-head, having no qualifications to secure such a postion as President of the United States. Grr.
I shall say no more, because that is in the past, but the man does NOT deserve praise. He could have prevented the death of many Americans, but does he care? It seems not. I cannot say for sure, because I do not know him personally, but through observing the way he acts now...I should say not.

over and out

This isn't a new thought to me but...

...I just have to say it. George Lucas is out there. First, he draws a clear difference between good and evil, and then he has to pop this line out:

Anakin: "You're either with me, or my enemy." (or something along those lines...)
Obi-Wan: "Anakin, only the Sith deal in absolutes!"

Whoa there. That's a contradiction...and obviously an insight into the way Lucas' mind works. Of course, as a big Obi-Wan fan (he's my fave Star Wars character other than Darth Maul and Luke Skywalker) I tried to make an excuse, saying "Well, he really meant that only the Sith deal in such extremes". Hah. And the funny thing is that all throughout the movie he makes good and evil apparent (with a few exceptions of relativism, but those came from Darth Sidious and we all know he's not to be trusted), but then he unloads this upon the viewer. Apparently Mr. Lucas doesn't believe that evil exists. Poor man...

over and out

There must have been a change in the Matrix

I had deja-vu twice on Monday and then once on Tuesday. That closeness of events has never happened before (the deja-vu I have consists of my dreaming images or 1 to 3 second scenes and then seeing them a week to two months later). Weirdness.

...Anyways...

Don't you think "Signs" (or should I say, "M. Night Shyamalan's Signs") is an interesting movie? It's very intricate and full of layers (slightly similar the layers of a Charles Williams book...I said slightly, remember that). Another thing that it's full of is symbolism. Graham (Mel Gibson's character---a role which was originally intended for and given to Johnny Depp (although, apparently, it didn't work out), interestingly enough) loses his faith as a result of blaming his wife's death on God. But then through the alien "invasion" he turns back to God (mainly because his son's life was spared by God). A typical Hollywood mold of a story probably wouldn't have had Graham turn back to God; something which makes this film a bit unique in that way. Another interesting tidbit is that this movie really presses the point that everything happens for a reason; Graham's wife's final words, Ray Reddy's confession to Graham, and the aliens choosing his fields to make their "mark" upon. And concerning the title, does it imply signs from the aliens, or signs from God? Maybe that's stretching it a bit, but it's just a thought from my [somewhat] whacked mind so, don't take it too seriously ^_^

over and out