WHAT- They spy on US?!?!?!?!

In my ever-changing quest for new tunes, I bought a copy of "Fuckin A"- an album by Portland punk band The Thermals. Don't ask how I happened across this group, as it would take another blog entry to explain it, but for sake of argument let's call it Fate. Anyway, track #8 on this cd is called "God and Country" and like any well written song, it makes you think. The first few lines go like this:

"pray for a new age
pray for information
i can hope, see
even if i don't believe"

"pray for a new state
pray for communication
i can hope, see
even if i don't believe"

THEN the song tosses in this little paradox of a line.....

"and
i believe...
i think.....
i don't know"

Now, punk music in general has never been known for beautifully written lyrics, flashy chord structures or off the chart vocal ranges, BUT it has always been known to speak the truth- up front and in your face. The funny thing about the line is that it reminds me of a moment someone has when they realize that what they had thought was the truth, something irrefutable, suddenly gets discredited and they're left with a sinking feeling of defeat and dejection. The moment has seemed to arrive for a lot of people in this country.



In the news yesterday, there was an article talking about how the NSA has collected a list of the numbers and phone records of millions of American cell phone users. "WHAT?" people ask. "That just doesn't happen here!" Is it such a foreign concept that a government, the US government at that- would actually listen in on the conversations of it's citizens? If you ask me, I'd tell you that the government has been listening in on my personal conversations (and probably reading my email too) since 9/11/01. I don't think I have to remind you what happened that day. I have no ties to terrorist groups, no criminal record, and no outstanding warrants, but the one thing I DO have is an Arabic last name. I can tell you with complete certainty that before those planes hit the World Trade Center, I was just like anyone else, a near-model citizen (no comments from the peanut gallery- thank you!). After Osama sent his naive followers into battle with the hopes of living in paradise with 40 virgins, I became a target for wire taps. All of a sudden, I get "randomly" searched every time I board a plane, the people who call my phone- a land line at that- hear their own voices echo when they dial my number, for three days, a white van sat outside my house. The latest thing is a ripped orange slip of paper from India sent to my house, in MY NAME, packed in a strange "special" envelope from the postal service. Now, all the other folks who live in my house think I'm connected somehow to some clandestine organization and leered at me for at least three days. What does all this mean? It means (ahem):

Your government is SPYING ON YOU TOO!!!




That being said, I only have three words of consolation America....GET OVER IT. As citizens, we don't make the laws, we don't get people out of appointed posts, we don't fire the corrupt politicians (they conveniently resign when the shit gets too hot), we don't control the airwaves, and we don't have the ability to stop them from watching or listening to what you do so here is my suggestion: give them a good show. If you and your husband like humping more than the average couple (or "goosing" for the old school 80's kids) make sure you do it in plain view so that when they accuse you of doing something, it's not plotting to blow up Madison Square Garden. If you like phone sex, make sure it's XXX-tra nasty so the spy listening in has to excuse himself and masterbate in the bathroom. If you like porn, make sure you turn it up loud so when the Feds ask the neighbors about your activities, they can call you a freak rather than a terrorist. If you like your pets just a little bit more than the average human then....well keep that shit to yourself. That's nasty.