random commentary

[geekchick]

Today's installment of "Weekly Words of Wisdom" from the Dzogchen Center:

Conscience is the soul of freedom, its eyes, its energy, its life. Without conscience, freedom never knows what to do with itself.

     ~ Thomas Merton

----

Go read Terry's post. It's not pretty. (The topic, that is; apparently we'd like to be able to deport suspected terrorists to any country that will accept them, even if it means they'd be subject to torture (outsourcing, anyone?), and even if it's not their country of origin. And judicial review? We don't need no steenkin' judicial review!) And if you're feeling inspired afterwards, go donate some cash.

[Edit: wispfox posted a link to the PDF at the Speaker's site here; the sections in question begin on page 134 and go through 137.]


In happier news though:

NEW YORK - Saying that "democracy abhors undue secrecy," a federal court today struck down an entire Patriot Act provision that gives the government unchecked authority to issue "National Security Letters" to obtain sensitive customer records from Internet Service Providers and other businesses without judicial oversight. The court also found a broad gag provision in the law to be an "unconstitutional prior restraint" on free speech.

(link via nikkinewsnet)

Comments

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Gee, you have two of my post, all wrapped up in one.

TK

[geekchick]

In my defense, I read it in nikkinewsnet and seem to have been composing this while you were writing your own. I could ask you to give me my share of the brain back, but it seems you're putting it to more use than I am today.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Only because I am at home, unpacking, surfing, wondering if I'll be home, or planning a trip to Ukriane for some 300 soldiers, next week.

That and my uber-geeky attention to matters like this.

I suppose, if I'd not been tweaking the cross post to nnn_oped I'd have written about it sooner, but you linked to me, so I can't complain that you were more deft in posting me than I was myself.

It looks as though (with the polls open for several hours, and some precinct still not counted)today may be a new record for site traffic, though the Op ed will take some doing to best page loads, I seem to be on track to get more visits.

Which means, accepting some overlap... I'm reaching about 400 people, of whom some 100 are regulars.

Not too shabby.

TK

I have

[geekchick]

wondering if I'll be home, or planning a trip to Ukriane for some 300 soldiers, next week.

That's still not ironed out? Sheesh, that would drive me crazy.

but you linked to me, so I can't complain that you were more deft in posting me than I was myself.

Today is a fuzzy brain day (with other stuff occupying a large chunk of the mind as well), so I just point to those more coherent than I am at the moment. =)