This morning's NY Times reports passage of survellance bill

The New York Times claims the bill (refered to in my last post) "broadly expands"
wiretap powers. The Supreme Court just gives us back habeous corpus, and the congress gives away the right to privacy.(AGAIN...) Thanks a heap.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/washington/10fisa.html?hp

NOW I see on Yahoo - this column denouncing the law!!!
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/38229/Senate-Passes-Eye-of-Sauron-Act

BBC reports Senate passes Eye of Sauron Law

I noticed an amazing revision on the BBC news channel today.

The first headline on this story
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7498753.stm was

SENATE PASSES "EYE OF SAURON LAW"

To complete the display there was a picture of the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings movies. The article referred to that founding fathers quote that says he who would compromise freedom for security deserves neither.

However, - immediately somebody did some editing. Seconds after beginning this post I returned to the article and found it well - radically changed. It also now notes that Barack Obama voted in favor of the bill....

It seems some honest BBC reporter simply called a spade a spade - then one of two things happened 1) the reporter changed his mind or 2) an editor changed his article. One or both of them were soft-pedaling what the senate did (and the house before them) because they didn't want to damage Obama? GEEEZ. Rethinking their instincts because a someone BIG held a contrary opinion... Isn't that just what the US media did when George and Dick were talking up the threat of WMD in Iraq?????

Sorry dear OBAMA - but this wretched law excuses past sins in wiretapping by the government in cahoots with ATT, Sprint/Nextel etc. It also expands and continues the president's spying powers. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHAT's THE MATTER WITH YOU FOLKS in CONGRESS? (Dear Lawmakers - Has Karl ROVE been sending you all love notes noting your past sins? He probably knows all YOUR secrets from the first period of warrantless wiretap. OBAMA is probably the first one George will use the new law against! After all according to right wingers there is no greater threat to national security than a Harvard Liberal ie an educated man with an open mind who cares about the little guy!!) HAHA!

In any event, for the foreseeable future - mums the word. Don't type it, don't say it.
BUT WHEN THEY GET THE REMOTE MIND SAMPLING SOFTWARE IT'S ALL OVER!!!
Imagine George ordering your endless, anonymous incarceration (or secret excommunication by Blackwater mercenaries ) all for what you dream at night......

Weep for the Dead

On this 4th of July weekend - that celebrates the birthday of a nation who's present government violently pursues its agenda at the expense of ethics, decency and common sense  - I offer this oil pastel/watercolor called Weep for the Dead.

We have taken our freedom and our equality and turned it into a crass, egotistical culture that values Blackwater, Halliburton and their like and lets the poor drown in a flood. That believes valor can be bought.

We are like the British empire of old, we are in decline. Selah.

Fourth of July

It's a bleak start to the holiday - the sky is gray and low. Cool and sunless. Took the dog for a long walk around the perimeter of a large box-store parking lot. Mist was falling lightly. It's a been a strange couple of months.

Boots & Sneakers: A Farewell to Rob Ayotte

This still life, which I did in a college class, is rendered in oil pastel. It makes me think of a friend, who recently died, who had the largest sneaker collection I have ever seen. There were fireworks somewhere a little while ago, and a band is playing across the street. Now though, it's 10:30pm. It has grown hot and sticky. The dog is nervous because of the fireworks. The cat is ignoring us as usual. There are sirens downtown. And I am thinking about the Rob: Robert Bryan Ayotte /

Hometown: Tonowanda, NY / United States You can visit  RememberingRob  on Youtube, a channel setup in his memory at http://youtube.com/RememberingRob It includes clips of some recitals, some from his choir & soloists and selections from his Master's recital for SUNY Binghamton (NY) played on the organ at the First Presbyterian Church there.

  The late Robert Bryan Ayotte, who was Director of Music and Organist for St Mary Parish for seven years, died at home in his Danbury apartment, and was found on June 4, 2008. He was only 34 years old.

Rob earned music performance degrees at SUNY Buffalo and SUNY at Binghamton. At the time of his death, he was in the last stages of earning a DMA in Organ Performance from the University of Indiana at Bloomington. Through the course of his studies, his applied keyboard teachers included Roland E. Martin, David Fuller, Jonathan Biggers, Marilyn Keiser and David Smith. He was known for his devoted work ethic, his skill as a choirmaster and organist, for his dry sense of humor, his generosity of spirit, his willingness to encourage colleagues, his love of chocolate chip cookies and brownies, and for his enormous collection of sneakers and boots.

Besides his work at St. Mary's, Rob served as membership registrar at the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He gave his last recital on May 20, 2008 at a Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church, in Baltimore, MD, where he played on a one-of-a-kind antique pipe organ. His is survived by his parents, Peter and Joanne Ayotte, a brother Eric (Shannon), as well as a neice Devin and a nephew, Joshua. He will be greatly missed by the members of his choir, his music staff, his colleagues in the organists guild and other musical organizations he had worked with, by his many friends from college, the clergy and parishioners, his friends at St Mary's. Rob's Funeral was held at St Mary's in June, and later on July 11, 2008 his ashes were interred at St Mary Cemetery. Rest in Peace, friend.

bad day down on the farm

What a horrible day for everyone involved here. my 86 year old aunt (visiting from Florida) fell early this morning and as it turned out - broke both knees as we were getting ready to leave for Foxwoods. My aunt is now off her feet for eight weeks. Her daughter spent the entire day with her at the emergency room. And Maisy, instead of a fun day at the casino, or having a party or going to dinner for her 80th, we have spent the day having high blood pressure while awaiting news about my aunt. Oh yes - fabulous day. Move over Friday the 13th.

Military cheating soldiers out of rightful help

Nation Magazine has estimated that the Military is saving around $8 billion dollars. You might think that they are economizing by getting a deal on equipment. NOT. They are cheating soldiers who have served them well. They are discharging long term soldiers for so called pre-existing mental disorders - disorders not discovered until after ten or twelve years of service. Ten or twelve years that included repeated mental health screenings that found nothing wrong. If not for mental defect, these men are discharged for misconduct when they fall apart with untreated Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome or for Traumatic Brain Injury. Once they are discharged not only do they not get the help they need for treatment - THEY ARE FORCED TO PAYBACK RE-ENLISTMENT BONUSES somethings over $10,000 dollars. Many of these soldiers asked for help, but their requests were denied.

What kind of country have we become? We ask men to give their lives to a trumped up war, then throw them away like used cars when maintenance costs loom.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/424/soldiers-ptsd.html