I’m having a moment of disgust and revolution. The traitor-in-chief signed a bill into law today, designed to (excuse me while I try to stop throwing up) “protect the American people by all means possible”. The expansion of eavesdropping powers and shielding of companies who so unlawfully and willfully violated the privacy and integrity of America in no way protects the American people. It is in fact the bright clear line that tells the American people that whenever the bloodless coup actually took place, democracy has fallen and America is no longer the Land of The Free.
Which I guess means that I am taking this opportunity to declare myself an enemy of the state. Which is really only dangerous if the bastards enthroned in DC are as deeply treasonous as I think they are, in which case they have already marked me — feminist, librarian, vegetarian, academic, subscriber to Ms. and Utne Magazines, Zmag, and an ACLU (geez, throw in coop and CSA to boot!) member — as an enemy of theirs. I also support MoveOn, TomPaine, and a variety of environmental protections.
I am so disgusted by Obama, by congress, by the government, and the people who have voted for all members therein.
I therefore declare:
- I stand for an educated populace, and an affordable and excellent public education system
- I stand for Freedom — to think, to believe, to pray, to speak as I choose (or don’t)
- Freedom to travel without violation
- Freedom to not have to declare my identity and my politics to any one unless I so actively choose
- Freedom to assemble, and freedom to talk to whom I choose
- Freedom to pursue intellectual pursuits, wherever they may take me
- Freedom to read anything I want, for any reason
- Freedom to love whomever I choose
- I believe that all people have the right to expect they will not be surveilled –by their own government or anybody else– without explicit and substantiated reasoned cause
- I believe in due process, and the process of law
- I believe no person has the right or authority to own another, in either explicit or metaphorical terms
- I believe it is the primary responsibility of my government to protect the freedoms and rights enumerated above
July 10, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Well said!!!
July 10, 2008 at 4:07 pm
here here!
i believe too…
July 10, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Don’t worry, you haven’t gone off a cliff with this.
Any good spots out there for expatriate librarians? I’m somewhat seriously looking at options.
July 10, 2008 at 4:24 pm
A lovely New Zealander at a divey gay cowboy bar in San Antonio at ALA 2006 (don’t ask) told me over a game of pool that NZ actively recruits librarians, and they are always welcome to immigrate to NZ.
Also, thanks. My stomach hurts over this, and your comments help!
July 10, 2008 at 4:28 pm
also, Roll call votes for House and Senate are available from http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-6304
Pelosi, Obama, Feinstein among those who voted for it
Boxer, Biden, Kerry, Clinton among the few who voted against
July 10, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Not over a cliff IMO – I thoroughly agree with your declarations. But I’m going to ramble a bit here for a moment:
I’m fairly sickened that Obama voted for it, but I also believe that we are not at this point in history a United States. We are very much a divide country in far too many ways – Ideologically, Religiously, Geographically, Economically and just about as many ways as you can count. I have opinions about where the country is headed, and I’m not at all sure that either candidate is remotely qualified to address what I believe.
A couple of years ago, when the Constitution Day ruling came out – that educational institutions receiving federal funds had to do something to educate & observe Constitution day, my FPOW ordered pocket-size Constitutions to hand out. Part of what happened was that the reference librarians all ended up reading it – for at least a couple of us, it’s the first time we’d read it thoroughly since, say, high school civics (and how closely did I pay attention then? I’m not sure). Doing that really opened my eyes and gave me a much greater understanding of the foundations of this country, and why so many of the things that have been done in the last X number of years (and I don’t believe that it’s just this administration, though I think the most egregious have been) are really hurting this country.
Bah. Soapbox, off, now – because I still have work to do today!
July 10, 2008 at 6:02 pm
What a thoughtful reply! And I agree completely. What is happening in this country predates this presidency. And the disunity you recognize strikes me as exactly how the coup was undertaken.
I’m going to go throw my Constitution Day pocket constitution into my carry-on luggage for in-flight reading!
July 12, 2008 at 11:16 am
Well said. Sign me up!