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Tuesday, December 27, 2005

The Security Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power

Yet another link (YAL?) to a blog saying what's in my heart and mind. This time a posting by Bruce Schneier - the security expert's expert. His posting is in turn a list of links but it's put together in his usual intelligent - lead you by the hand - manner.

I will ask one question of all this - How do we get all of the well meaning Bush voters to understand that the act of questioning the president's actions does not constitute an attack on our beloved country?

You can have my privacy when you pry it from my cold, dead, encryption algorithm!

America after 9/11

WOW! Great op/ed in the Miami Herald by ROBERT STEINBACK. Couldn't have said it better.

My favorite quote

"Are we agreeing, then, to give the king unfettered privilege to defy the law forever? It's time for every member of Congress to weigh in: Do they believe the president is above the law, or bound by it?"

Friday, December 23, 2005

The Pagan Clause

Ok - For some reason this year I've been deluged by emails reminding me about the "true meaning of Christmas". I get the feeling that some of my friends are maybe trying to save my poor misguided soul - or have been in range during one of my tirades about the commercialism of the season - or seen me have a "Wal Mart Moment" (resembles a conniption, very scary).

A friend put it pretty well when I mentioned that I just might have a tree in my home this year. "How interesting" He said, "A pagan symbol - co-opted by western Christians for their own purposes - tainted by US commercialism (a religion in itself methinks) - in the home of a Buddhist curmudgeon"... "Pretty much sums it up." I said.

In short I refuse to stop using the phrase "Happy Holidays" simply because any one of the religions that lay claim to this time of year think that their assertion is better than anyone else's.

Dear friend, please click the link. Read what the author has written so much better than I. Understand - when I and most people say those two words, it's a genuine wish of goodwill and not an attack on your beliefs. For those too lazy to click the link - Here is possibly the best quote from the page (it's near the end btw):

"The danger is not in the originally pagan symbols, nor in it's establishment by the Bishop of Rome, but in the commercialism and secularization of the holy day; we are losing the real meaning of the holiday to an orgy of spending and politically correct saccharine cuteness. The meaning of Christmas is not found in how many presents we can give or get, nor in how much money we can spend on it, nor in how prettily we can decorate our home, but in the Message of the Child.

Christmas (call it Yule if you want to!) is a holiday and holy day that can be kept by Christian and pagan alike, and one that brings joy to the world indeed.

And if the devil has been trying to "pervert it's symbols thru the ages, giving them pagan meanings," then to view them as such is to fall into Old Scratch's trap, isn't it?

Little Children: Love One Another!"



HAPPY HOLIDAYS one and all!

Update:
Someone pointed out in the comments that the links werent working. Should be now. Look for a link below: