Showing posts with label ACLU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ACLU. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
"9/11 Wasn't About You."
Excuses Are Like Metaphors . . .
Everybody has one, and they all wither in the light of careful scrutiny. Sorry its been so long since my last post.
"9/11 wasn't about you."
" 9/11 wasn't about you. Nobody cares where you were." - Facebook post from Sept 11, 2012
And here I was thinking it was the day that my country was attacked by terrorists.
The anniversary of the day that our economy went into a tailspin that it never recovered from, which made my last decade a spiral of lay-offs and financial stress.
The kick off of a war that sent two of my good friends to the Middle East, both of whom returned but were never the same.
I was thinking it was the day that we decided as a nation to sacrifice privacy and civil liberties for the illusion of safety at any cost.
The day that a ride on an airplane went from being something to look forward to to an exercise in humiliation to be avoided whenever possible.
The event that fueled the rise of the most radical right wing policies and politicians I have ever seen in my lifetime.
My bad.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Been a long time, been a long time, been a long . . .
lonely, lonely, lonely time . . .
But Not Really
Hey all. Thank you for checking in with the old Traveling Now. Remember - no matter where you are, what you are doing, and when you are doing it - the time is Now, the place is Here, and we are all of us Traveling.
And if you have had a lonely, lonely, lonely time waiting on a new post from Yours Truly may I apologize? What can I say? Time takes Time.
So . . What Shall We Call This New Country?
New America? The Former United States? Voting non enabled I'm afraid.
From the ACLU website:
Just let that sink in for a minute. Indefinite detention without charges.
I am going to do my best to accurately paraphrase a friend of mine, speaking from his front porch over iced tea a few weeks back.
"Choose your nightmare scenario," he said. "A hardline conservative gets in office and he decides to detain everyone who participated in Occupy Wall Street for a few years to teach them that activism does not pay. A radical Christian becomes President and just rounds up all the Muslims and holds them on suspicion of terrorism - forever. An ultra liberal administration comes to power and they decide that everyone who voted to invade Iraq is a war criminal, and sends them to Guantanamo Bay."
And he's right. And just because its not likely to happen that way doesn't meant that we shouldn't fight against it. Fight against NDAA because America with indefinite detention without charges is no longer America.
The Fantasy Theory That Lets Me Sleep At Night
Our current President conceding to the Right on NDAA is a crafty strategy. He knows that once challenged the Supreme Court NDAA will be found unconstitutional and put to bed, and whatever political capitol the Right spent on making it happen is flushed down the toilet. In my fantasy President Obama is like a chess master, thinking three moves ahead of his opponents.
But the probable truth is that it was just the easiest way for him to get what he needed to get to help him get re-elected in 2012.
How Do We Fight This
Raise awareness, sign the petition, and never stop fighting for justice. And just to sweeten the pot . . . see down below that wacky old comment section? Chime in and let me know that you signed up and you will be the recipient of a Traveling Now WHOOOOOOOOO! prize, complete with a phone and personalized WHOOOOOOOOO!
Do it. Help America!
Back To The Mephitic Workday
Okay, that has to be it for this afternoon. Work might not be a delightful romp into political particulars but it has to get done. You be well.
Last one out from under oppression hit the lights!
Currently Digging
Alabama Shakes, pasta with broccoli, Breaking Bad, getting back into shape
But Not Really
Hey all. Thank you for checking in with the old Traveling Now. Remember - no matter where you are, what you are doing, and when you are doing it - the time is Now, the place is Here, and we are all of us Traveling.
And if you have had a lonely, lonely, lonely time waiting on a new post from Yours Truly may I apologize? What can I say? Time takes Time.
So . . What Shall We Call This New Country?
New America? The Former United States? Voting non enabled I'm afraid.
From the ACLU website:
December 31, 2011FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law today. The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement only applies to how his administration would use the authorities granted by the NDAA, and would not affect how the law is interpreted by subsequent administrations. The White House had threatened to veto an earlier version of the NDAA, but reversed course shortly before Congress voted on the final bill.
Just let that sink in for a minute. Indefinite detention without charges.
I am going to do my best to accurately paraphrase a friend of mine, speaking from his front porch over iced tea a few weeks back.
"Choose your nightmare scenario," he said. "A hardline conservative gets in office and he decides to detain everyone who participated in Occupy Wall Street for a few years to teach them that activism does not pay. A radical Christian becomes President and just rounds up all the Muslims and holds them on suspicion of terrorism - forever. An ultra liberal administration comes to power and they decide that everyone who voted to invade Iraq is a war criminal, and sends them to Guantanamo Bay."
And he's right. And just because its not likely to happen that way doesn't meant that we shouldn't fight against it. Fight against NDAA because America with indefinite detention without charges is no longer America.
The Fantasy Theory That Lets Me Sleep At Night
Our current President conceding to the Right on NDAA is a crafty strategy. He knows that once challenged the Supreme Court NDAA will be found unconstitutional and put to bed, and whatever political capitol the Right spent on making it happen is flushed down the toilet. In my fantasy President Obama is like a chess master, thinking three moves ahead of his opponents.
But the probable truth is that it was just the easiest way for him to get what he needed to get to help him get re-elected in 2012.
How Do We Fight This
Raise awareness, sign the petition, and never stop fighting for justice. And just to sweeten the pot . . . see down below that wacky old comment section? Chime in and let me know that you signed up and you will be the recipient of a Traveling Now WHOOOOOOOOO! prize, complete with a phone and personalized WHOOOOOOOOO!
Do it. Help America!
Back To The Mephitic Workday
Okay, that has to be it for this afternoon. Work might not be a delightful romp into political particulars but it has to get done. You be well.
Last one out from under oppression hit the lights!
Currently Digging
Alabama Shakes, pasta with broccoli, Breaking Bad, getting back into shape
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