National Identification

Okay, before I get to anything personal, I saw this post on Bruce Schneir's website (picked up the thread off of WWDN) and I damn near hit the ceiling! Seems the U.S. Government is about to pass a law requiring National Identification documents for all citizens! Jesus-frikkin-Christ people, am I the only one who sees the sudden resemblances to Nazi Germany that are coming about in this country? Look, I understand the need for National Security. I live in New Jersey. My oldest brother missed being killed on 9/11 by a ten minute (Lucky!) traffic delay. He had a 9:00 meeting in Tower One. The problem is, legislation like the Patriot Act and this piece of unconstitutional crap do more to further the terrorist's cause than to prevent it!

Osama bin Ladin was not just trying to kill people when he planned that attack. He was trying to demoralize a nation, to take away the underlying belief in ourselves and our system of government that is such a threat to everything he and his conspirators stand for. Can't we see that when we become completely paranoid and uncaring of human/civil rights in our attempts to destroy the terrorists that we are playing right into their hands? WE ARE ALLOWING OUR FEAR TO TURN US INTO THE VERY THING WE ARE FIGHTING AGAINST!!!! A free, open, democratic society DOES NOT need papers, identification cards, security checkpoints and armed guards every twelve feet. We DO NOT need to hand over search/seizure rights to the government without recourse to due process! We DO NOT need to torture suspects or keep them incarcerated without outside contact for as long as the authorities wish. We are the United States of America. We're supposed to be better than that. Take a laundry list of what I just said:

1. Travel papers/identification required at all times
2. Government entering homes without judicial approval, based on suspicion alone
3. Incarceration without a hearing for unlimited periods
4. Security checkpoints at all public facilities
5. Rampant fear and distrust among the polulace
6. Neighbors turning each other in to government authority on suspicion of treason
7. Military torture of prisoners

Does that sound like the U.S.A. or does it sound like Afghanistan and Iraq? I have news for you people, if this is how we react to the terrorist's attacks, THEN THEY WERE SUCCESFUL!

Alright, off the soap box now. Sorry.

Okay, back to the regular blog now. I got a lot of work done on GS last night. I discovered (much to my chagrin!) that I had not finished one of the insert chapters. Somehow, I'd stopped writing it and never got back to it. I picked it up for type-in and realized I still had a lot of work to do. (Alright, so I'm a dumb-ass!) I had to write up another 3,000 words to finish out the section. Couple that with the 2,800 words I did on "Fish" yesterday: and I was a very busy little writer-bee! I realized today (after another 2,500 words!) on "Fish" that it's going to be longer than I thought. I figured it at about 85k but I just passed that mark and I still have several more chapters to go so I may wind up above the 100k mark after all.

Still exercising every day. The scale (finally) showed me some weight loss! I dropped 5 lb. last week but more important, all my clothes are getting verrrrry loose. (that's a good thing!) I have to say (though I probably shouldn't!) that I'm liking my life very much at the moment. The body is going in the right direction, I'm writing every day (almost!) and the job/home life are both running smoothly. All-in-all I am feeling very good about moi! Now, if I can get an agent and/or publisher to bite on one of my novels life will be perfect! (Damn, I bet I just jinxed myself completely!)

Later!