I was going to quote a whole bunch of misconceptions, but instead I'll just "answer in the clear."
First, it must be understood that "illegal" and "unConstitutional" has NEVER stopped the gov't of the USA. Selling drugs to raise funds for weapons purchases is damned illegal, but it was done. Paying expatriots to invade another country in an attempt to assassinate a head of state is damned illegal, but it was done. Having a monopoly in this country is damned illegal, but the federal courts have allowed it to continue with Microsoft. Freedom of speech may be "guaranteed" by the constitution, but "speaking secrets" to "the enemy" can get you shot, as can being declared a conspirator-in-hiding ... and remember that the NSA and a few other agencies can declare YOU a "conspirator" without any need to prove it. George W Bush signed a "airlines bailout bill" that sent about $10 million of that money to pork barrel recipients, companies that were in NO way involved with the airline industry. George W Bush signed orders which allowed people to read your e-mail and record your private conversations and peek into your bank account and even check out what sorts of books you get from the public library. George W would, and will, sign any type of bill which he thinks he can squeeze into being under the guise of "homeland security." Never in the life of the USA have we been less secure than now -- and the bad part is that foreign terrorists are not the source of that insecurity ... the government is. The writing or saying of anything can be easily made against the law. You write software that 'hacks' into copy protection, you can be arrested for conspiracy to circumvent copyright law. You make a speech, that gets press coverage on the major networks, which reveals how the new "sniffers" work that are being used by the UN inspectors in Iraq and watch how quickly you are brought in for questioning, or as a material witness. Forget "Habeus Corpus" son, it don't apply during time of war as far as the feds are concerned, and the feds -- including dear ol' GW -- consider this country to be at war. Call me paranoid. Call me insane [I well could be, since my sole source of income is a governmental pension that can be easily screwed up more than long enough to have me die homeless and starving ... they already "killed" me once, and it took months to get that straightened out .... I had to close my tiny IRA account to have money to live on.] Call me a radical. But call me a patriot. I didn't volunteer for the military to avoid being drafted ... I never was "draft fodder." I figured I'd spend some of my time taking care of the country that had done a pretty good job of taking care of me. Any agreement where both sides benefit is a good one. I don't want to scare anyone. Scared people don't think straight. But I do want people to open up their eyes and try to prove me wrong when I say this country is currently in more jeopardy than it has been in since about 1812. Maybe you'll learn some things you didn't think could ever be. Rights are guaranteed by laws. But the laws are only guaranteed to work when the PEOPLE fight to make certain the rules are followed and EVERYONE, regardless of social or political strata, is included. I know that some will never consider what I say worth doing a damn things about. I know some already agree with what I say. And I know there will always be some who won't give a snit unless/until it comes and snatches the roof from their personal heads and the food from their personal tables. I'll shut up now. -- Arachne V1.70;rev.3, NON-COMMERCIAL copy, http://arachne.cz/
