The first and fatal charm of national repentance is, therefore, the encouragement it gives us to turn from the bitter task of repenting our own sins to the congenial one of bewailing - but, first, denouncing - the conduct of others. - C.S. Lewis

So a new man in the White House
With a familiar name
Said he had some fresh ideas
But it's worse now since he came
From Texas to Washington

And he wants to fight with many
And he says it's not for oil
He sent out the National Guard
To police the world
From Baghdad to Washington
- John Mellencamp

The President said the economy gained 4.6 million jobs in the past two-and-a-half years, failing to note that it had lost 2.6 million jobs in his first two-and-a-half years in office. The net gain since Bush took office is just a little more than 2 million.

Thank you Factcheck.org.

I would like to add that the 2 million jobs added are not the kinds Americans have come to expect. When the factory that paid a worker $15 an hour closes and moves to Mexico, and a McDonalds paying $6 an hour springs up... do you see my point?

Some of my favorite links:
www.ConstitutionParty.org
www.Cato.org
www.factcheck.org
www.economist.com

Why Republicans get on my nerves:
"I really get a kick out of people who spit on our troops and say they hate bush, this proves there ignorance. Why you might ask, well it just goes to show they are the ones fueling the fire. I "hate" bush, spitting on troops, and all this is to protest against the hate and violence in Iraq. Good job guys, maybe these people should look at themselves first before they draw to conclusions."

First of all, it should read, "...proves their ignorance." Secondly, neither myself or anyone else I know who is against the war have ever said or done anything against our troops, especially spit on them. In fact, I support them wholeheartedly, I support them so much I want to pull them out of harm's way and get them home. But more than my support, they have my sympathy. They have been sent to a war that should never have happened, and they are working for an arrogant administration that doesn't understand the full scope of the conflict or how to resolve it.

I get the impression from the above segment that the author is against speaking out against the President. Well sorry pal, I love my country too much to sit idly by and let someone ruin what the past 200 years have built. Furthermore, I'm not protesting the hate and violence in Iraq, I'm protesting the American soliders dying daily in Iraq. At this point I could care less what happens there, if they want to blow each other up then so be it, but I can not tolerate our troops sitting there as the target for the enemy. Does no one realize that Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorism? There are more Al Qaeda in Iraq now than before the war, simply because there has been a large target painted on the country with a caption that says, "Come, kill Americans."

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

---

Concerning President Bush's wiretapping and domestic spying policy, I think it is another blatant violation of our Constitutional rights. This should come as no surprise from the man who before, threw the Constitution out the window in sending our country to an unwarranted war with no declaration from the Congress. I fully understand the threat of terrorism against our country and we are in an unconventional war that requires often radical and dynamic methods to protect the country from the enemy. However, this does not serve as valid reasoning for violating the rights given to the citizens of the United States. The Founding Fathers knew the dangers of centralized power in the government and centralized power in a single individual. For these reasons they ensured, in writing the Constitution, that we would be free from overextension of the federal government's powers by the inclusion of Civil rights and a system of checks and balances. Apparently the President disagrees. The major danger of his domestic spying policy is the lack of any kind of control. The administration claims they are using it to fight terrorism but there is no gurantee of that. It could just as easily be used against political opponents or for other means of personal gain.

This also raises the issue of immigration. I am not anti-immigrant, but I fully support strict, reasonable restrictions to whom we allow to pass through our borders. The attacks of September 11, 2001 were, in my opinion, a failure to protect our borders. A foreign nation or rogue state did not attack us from a distance, rather we were invaded by a small group of radicals bent on complete destruction of freedom and liberty, symbolized by the United States. And now our President is doing just what the terrorists would like to see, he is using fear to rob people of their basic rights and liberties guranteed for by the Constituion and paid for by the blood and tears of a Revolution and two World Wars.

"Does he ever smell his own bullshit, when the president talks to God?" - Bright Eyes

Your government has betrayed you

I read an article yesterday in which Sec. of State Rice talked about allocating millions of dollars to 'promote' democracy in Iran. This funding includes but is not limited to, paying for Iranian students to come and study in America via our Universities (the best in the world). This angered me severely. In a time when most Americans are struggling to study in America, our government is taking their money and pissing it down the drain on foreign students. Promoting democracy in Iran is about as useful as promoting Protestantism at the Vatican.

So far I'm about $3,000 in debt for my college education. If I pursue my goal of becoming a lawyer, I could go as far as $40,000 into debt. Meanwhile, the federal government is forcefully taking money from me and my parents to pay for some guy in Iran to go to school here for free. Do I really need to digress further?

One more thing...
Since the government has thrown my right to privacy out the window, they will probably start tracking my communications and possibly haul me off without a warrant for an undetermined period of time. If they do, I want to say right now, f*ck the government. Not the Constitution, not the Declaration of Independence or our Founding Fathers, but those assholes in Washington.