If there is truth--which is doubtful--in that poll saying that 66% of Americans don't mind being wiretapped because, gosh darnit, they're just too law-abiding and too uninteresting for the NSA to care about...
... here is something for them to consider.

They need to take the next step, and wonder what the NSA et al. will DO with that data they've mined.

Today's Job Market: Only 20% Need Apply jumped out at me this morning. Actually, what really jumped out at me was the reply, about a third of the way down, saying that back-office white-collar jobs were being offshored.

Maybe that thread needs to be amended. To reflect the current job market in all its, um, glory... the personality tests, the "nice" rejections, the psychological lead weight one feels when anticipating the background check... "Will Catholic hospitals pass on me because I once worked as a field organizer for NARAL, never mind that I'll just be a lab monkey?"... this, of course, being what goes through my head as I contemplate applying for a summer job campaigning for my pro-choice principles...

On the heels of yet even more about how Democrats don't have a strong, unifying message... and a very timely, very thoughtful counter to that, I decided to weigh in with why I, personally, am a liberal.

This USAToday survey, originally from the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, lays it all out, crystal-clear:

I have long maintained that the most effective way, by far, to turn a dissenting American into a "good German" is to threaten the loss of his job. It works beautifully in this uncertain economy.

And now, at Democratic Underground, Bernard Weiner has proven me right in his piece, "Slicing Away Liberty".

... A bit late, I admit.

But I just couldn't resist.

Originally posted by InsultComicDog on this thread by Boutrous Boutrous.

Yes, I'll admit it. One reason I've always supported Kerry is that I perceive him to have a very important trait in common with myself. Namely, an intense drive to be influential and matter to people.

But what is often the fate, in the real world, of people who have such a drive? Public scorn.
Unspokenly and instinctually, we reward people who don't have this drive, and punish those who do. Every day.

Little things do count. And the little, everyday social punishments of the driven (that's what I'll call them from here on out) have a chilling effect on anybody who would take up the call to be truly courageous.

The Vichy Dem mindset, the appeasement mindset is written into our very way of interacting with people. It's written into our very human nature.
It's written into the very way we "do" interpersonal interaction.
It's written into the very way we think about how to be respectful and caring towards others.

The Constitution does grant us the right to throw out our entire government if they're abusing power!

Could there possibly be a way to remove a sitting Justice in the same fashion?

Of course, the Bush Administration will be ready to pounce on that... we'd have to prove Alito undermines democracy and the Constitution, Congress' power, etc. and they'll be ready to destroy any "proof"...

A little brainstorming, folks. Just to see what we may be able to come up with.

I was wondering when Congress would get around to those budget cuts.
I figured this week would be the perfect time, what with Alito and indictment news hogging the spotlight.

I was just about to post a diary reminding everyone to call your Senator and tell them NOT to approve.

So-- last night. They beat me to the punch. Definitely will be signed. Till then, is there anything more we can do to stop these cuts? Or can we only concentrate on getting rid of the tax cuts in the future?

A few days ago, I read the USAToday article, "Leading ladies: more glamour, less grit" by conservative columnist Michael Medved. You know Mr. Medved leans to the right because in his mind, there's no problem that the good ol' biological nuclear family can't fix. Whether it's moral decay or hangnails.

Well... for those of us who either HAVE no biological nuclear family, or who find that said family offers but a shadow of the emotional support that friends and extended family offer... well, we wonder just where our place is in Mr. Medved's world. It's enough to make you wonder, where did we go so wrong, what is so fundamentally flawed about us, that we can't get a biological nuclear family of our own. After all, this task is easier than breathing, according to Medved and company.

(Cross-posted to my own livejournal.)

Cross-posted to my own livejournal. Click on this link to get a good view of the chart.

I listed the time for the chart as 2 p.m. local time. I'm not sure if this is the exact moment of the levee breakage, so I can't say for sure about aspects between houses and ascendants and all that.

I can, however, comment about aspects between bodies-- planets and fixed stars-- so I will stick to that.

Here is that page I mentioned in a reply to my other diary... yes, Virginia, we still CAN lick this thing. If we do it swiftly and aim accurately.

Anybody know how best to get a hold of the remaining 3 Latin American countries?

I read about the narrow passage of CAFTA-- and have gotten a list printed out of the 15 Dems who defected.

This absolutely breaks my heart.

But... I wonder if there still may be something we can do.

Pay close attention, Iowans, to the words of Rep. Steve King. And Coloradans, to the words of Rep. Musgrave.
I personally have never heard scarier words in my life. "No rights"? "Only believe I do?"

Click here to sign the petition:

http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/house_alpha_072605/xeib8gz05e6b6j?

Tell your Congressmen that you expect them to stand up for you-- not right-wing pharmacies that oppose birth control.

I thought something more light-hearted was in order. This is copied from an entry in my livejournal.

Remember all those lists of guidelines in your creative writing classes? The ones that said things like "Does this story have a theme?" and "Are the characters believable/likable?"

Well... the special fiction edition of Atlantic has a very special, very provocative list of creative-writing tips from author Rick Moody.

I want to know how she's doing.

I'm making it one of my goals to periodically check up on people who've been discredited by the Bush administration... to see if they're been able to come out better for it, or to see if we could still lend some support.

CAFTA, and the Patriot Act.

Hello! I want to congratulate you for giving two parentless children a home, and freedom from an often cruel and painful existence in the foster-care system.

I notice you are a member of Feminists For Life. Though I disagree with your pro-life views, I must say that I am glad you believe-- as I hope you do, you being a feminist-- that women should have rights and opportunities equal to those of men.