rush limbaugh is a big fat asshole

in case you hadn't already realized this: rush limbaugh has no shame.

of course, i think all republicans are like this.

prove me wrong.

the republicans are cheating on you

the republicans are going to fix the next election. they've already arranged it to make cheating easier, and easier to hide the cheating. anything that looks like cheating they can blame on other people, on outsiders intent on disrupting the system. at the same time, delays and confusion will cause lines and distractions, which will reduce the number of overall voters. republicans hope this means only the dedicated vote, and that conservative voters are more dedicated than the rest of us.

don't believe me? after the 2000 election the republicans passed laws to make the voting process "more accurate", though the result has been simply and untested system going into crucial mid-term elections. if the democrats can pull out enough victories they can give our nation much needed congressional oversight of the executive branch. maybe even bring some of the criminals running our government to justice. though without a clear majority i doubt it.

the government still spies illegally

an update from my senator:

Current law permits the wiretapping of communications made by American citizens living within the United States only according to the procedures set forth in the federal criminal wiretap statute and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). To protect against abuses by the Executive branch, the government must seek a warrant from a special FISA court in order to conduct electronic surveillance of communications between American citizens and persons outside of the country.

The NSA did not obtain approval from the FISA court or from any other court before initiating its domestic wiretapping program. Few members of Congress were briefed about the wiretap program until its existence was revealed by the media, and those members were sworn to secrecy. The Administration has also shut down its own internal Department of Justice investigation of the NSA program.

Several bills have been introduced in the Senate that would essentially provide blanket legal authorization for the NSA's surveillance of American citizens. The Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006 (S. 2455/S. 3874), introduced by Senator Mike DeWine, would simply authorize the President's surveillance program as it exists today. The National Security Surveillance Act of 2006 (S. 2453/S. 3876), introduced by Senator Arlen Specter, would permit the Administration to voluntarily submit the entire NSA program to the FISA court for a review of its constitutionality, and would allow the Administration to appeal a ruling of unconstitutionality while denying any appeals of rulings of constitutionality.

I voted against these bills when they were considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2006. The bills simply do not provide meaningful oversight of the Executive Branch to ensure that surveillance powers are not misused against American citizens. Every member of Congress wants to monitor communications among suspected terrorists, but this can be done in a way that ensures that the Executive Branch does not misuse its surveillance authority against American citizens. Further, I do not believe the Senate should pass legislation that gives the Administration blanket authorization for these surveillance programs when most Senators do not even know the programs' operational details.

Due to the widespread resistance to the Administration's warrantless surveillance programs, the full Senate did not vote on these bills before the Senate adjourned for the election season. When the Senate reconvenes, I will continue to work to ensure that any government surveillance of American citizens is conducted in a manner consistent with our civil liberties and the rule of law as well as our security needs.

Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

vote!

i got an email today saying the deadline for voter registration in illinois is 10/10. they gave me a link to make it easy.

you should register. you should vote. i'm not going to twist your arm, but this is something important to me. we're only a democracy if people vote, if people make the effort to contribute to how their country is run. otherwise we might as well let bush, or someone like him, be a dictator and concede all decisions to him. we should just shut up and suffer whatever decisions the government makes for us. if this means they control every aspect our our lives, from what we can put in and take out of our bodies, then so be it. if we won't make our voice heard, if we won't contribute, then we deserve to be governed poorly. we have the opportunity to make a difference (even if it doesn't seem like we can) and to deny it or avoid it is to throw away our freedom.