Before I begin, I do not want to be told I am "unpatriotic." My father is a high-ranking military official. I think what he does is great. He has an office at the Pentagon. He keeps you from getting nasty diseases that make your pee-pees fall off. On September 11, I was freaked out, because I wasn't sure whether he was at the Pentagon or at his other office. And anyway, Patriotism is loving your country, not always agreeing with the government -- I mean, our founding Fathers attained Godlike status because they didn't agree with their current government and took a stand. So... yeah. The "you're unpatriotic!" "you're callous!" "you're dumb!" comments will be ignored, because I'm not, I'm not, and I'm definitely not.

I am so fucking sick of September 11th being used to justify every action taken by the government, that, would otherwise, be 1) completely unpopular with a THINKING American public and 2) understood by them to be A) a stupid idea or B) one that undermines THEIR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS as Americans.

It's been four, almost five years. Nothing has happened. The world hasn't changed -- it hasn't changed AT ALL, except we've alienated the rest of it, created millions of new little terrorists by bombing the shit out of their little mud brick homes, and every other country in the world hates our guts. Oh, and our populace puts their hands out, zombie-style and glazes over once "September Eleventh" is uttered, blindly following whatever garbage idea follows the phrase.

We're still obsessed with American Idol. We still guzzle oil like its water. Oh, sure, we're noticeably more xenophobic towards Arabs and Muslims (I'm not saying I haven't been affected) and we continue our obsession with The Real World. Nothing's changed. No new attacks, no new world understanding, only we now add "Arabs" to our vernacular of dirty words and dirty nationalities (think: JAPS, HUNS, REDCOATS...und die JUDEN)

Except, now the President and his cronies, in order to pass ridiculous legislation granting themselves more power and eating away at the checks and balances inscribed in the CONSTITUTION, whenever questioned as to the rationale or legality of those moves, gets out their "The WORLD CHANGED, BECAUSE OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH" tambourine and slidewhistle, and leads the brainwashed American Public like the Pied Piper, off to Hansel and Gretl's witch's house.

Wake the fuck up, people. And shut the hell up, President. Whenever I hear him aspirate "Theh worldh chhangedh on Septemburh Uleventhh, sinceh theh cowardlyh attacksh onh ourh greath nationh," I throw up a little bit in my mouth. Sometimes, it leaks on my stylish attire. On that note, also, how are those acts cowardly, huh? I'm not saying killing thousands of people and causing billions of dollars in damage is a good thing (in fact it's downright bad!), but honestly? Those people had chutzpah. I think the bombers were evil, but cowardly - that's an adjective I've just never been able to associate with them. I don't even have the balls to speak to opposing counsel, let alone kill myself and a few thousand other people. "Cowardly acts -" IT'S DOUBLETHINK, PEOPLE.

Back to my politically-unpopular thought - this September 11th Bandwagonism/Jingoism - not a good thing. And I wish more people felt the way I do. And maybe they do. But no one ever says it, because it's an unpopular thought. But that's my FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT to have unpopular thoughts, and as long as I'm not inciting people to riot, I'm allowed to say whatever I want to.

So here's the deal: The whole "DO IT IN THE NAME OF SEPTEMBER 11TH" ideal, I would hope, is running out of steam. By this point, it's a fucking cliche, and that's a terrible thing -- that the deaths of so many people has been turned into a completely political tool to advance the power of a few, at the expense of the rights and lives of so many. And also, you know, it's a tragedy that these people essentially died in vain, because their deaths are being exploited by the current Administration to advance what almost amounts to a dictatorship. Ironic, no? Yes yes. Here come the angry "you're callous!" comments. I'm not. Think about it. Would you want your dad's death to be used as a tool for the government to tap your phoneline as you're having dirty, dirty phonesex with your Azerbaijani boyfriend, while he's there visiting his Aunt in the mother country? No, I'm pretty sure you'd feel 1) pissed and 2) violated.

I mean, there you are, being a Globalized and without borders, modern person, able to date someone from another ethnic background - you're like a fucking "Free-to-be-You-And-Me" posterchild, you don't see the world in Colors or Religions, but the Clinton-era politically-correct and embracing lessons that you'd always been taught...backfiring on you. Because not it's not good to deal with anyone whose Mother's Haircutter's Brother's-Sister-in-Law's-Third-Cousin-Once-Removed...I'm digressing. Back to my point.

It's like if you slap "the tragic events of September 11th" preceding any idea, everyone is afraid to question it. So, I'll give it a try: "Since the tragic events of September 11th, it has become clear that we need to bomb the shit out of anyone who disagrees with us, ever, at all, in any sense of the word, even if their country has just strung its first line of electric lights on a dirt road, and their current weapon of choice is a poison blow-dart, because, with their newfound electrical capabilities, they could, conceivably, in about sixty years, make NUCLEAR WEAPONS."

Segue into the next topic:

How about that "Preemptive Doctrine, huh?" That's a great idea! I mean, the "Duck n' Cover" song has lain dormant and kitschy for way too long. Time we created more situations that could put us right back in 1963 or 1983. I mean, it has been about 20 years since the last threats of nuclear war, and so, based on the Calendar of American History, we're due to start intimidating and pushing where we don't belong, inciting a new nuclear threat. Thank goodness the President, with his hot-off-the-presses "Preemptive Doctrine" realized that we're overdue for a good old-fashioned Nuclear Scare, and realized that his "September 11th" cliche doesn't seem to be rustling up much public support anymore. (Ahem. 37% approval rating. Ahem.) But he'll still pound on his snare-drum a few more times, squeezing any last bit of attackist legislation he can out of it, like the last blobs of toothpaste from the tube. You know the ones I'm talking about -- the ones that turtle back in...

Hey - here's an idea -- Whatever happened to good old Rooseveltian Isolationism? Oh, I forgot...we stupidly require businesses to pay American workers wages which, although they are insufficient for them to actually survive, are so vastly above what developing countries require their workers to be paid, that our economy is basically entirely reliant on foreign labor. Silly me. Add to that the crazy "globalization!" and I guess that's just where we are! We don't grow our food, we don't make our own food, and we CERTAINLY don't provide our own Dell Technical Support. (Thanks, New Delhi!)

I guess we're just going to have to rely on everyone else to feed our hungry consumer mouths, and then bomb them when we have a few ideological differences. God, I sound like a Greeny-Hippie. (FAIR TRADE COFFEE FOR ALL!)

What was that other point I wanted to make - hmmm. September 11th as a reason to do bad things, check, check, September 11th as a cliche, check, ridiculous preemptive doctrine, check...

Oh, I read a GEM of an article today in the Miami Herald, which, I think, is completely indicative of the current political landscape.

Us Americans, we don't like being told what to do, huh? NO ONE is OUR BOSS! Right!? NO ONE says, "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" to US! RIGHT!?

NOT EVEN OTHER BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT THAT RIGHTFULLY HAVE THE POWER TO REGULATE US OR OTHER BRANCHES!

It appears, there's a bill that is going to wend its way through the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate that... are you ready for this?

Decreases the Supreme Court of Florida's power to declare legislatively enacted laws unconstitutional.

Wow.

What?!

Really... What?! Are you fucking kidding me?!

::ugh:: YES, it's a fundamental concept of Federalism that the Legislative body has the right to set the jurisdiction of the Courts. But like, is that actually DONE!? (We're at WAR! Yes. In Florida, we certainly are. Against English. But I digress...)

I. Absolutely. Dread. To. See. What. Happens. With. This. Bill.

What is it with this Bush-centric idealism, engendering this sort of steamroll-over-checks-n'-balances thought that's so popular with the Middle-Aged set these days?! Do the Babyboomers have THAT MUCH of a sense of entitlement that when they're told they're 1) wrong and 2) dumb and 3) overstepping their bounds by another set of Babyboomers, their response is not to correct their own behavior or procedures, but to divest the Supreme Court of a State with the power to call them out on their silly, and often unconstitutional ideas?

Methinks Barbara (Senior)'s nanny for the kids and the rest of the doting mammies that raised the Floridian legislative set were a wee too doting, and spared the rod, spoiling the children.

I mean, it's the fucking State Supreme Court. If they're not declaring things unconstitutional (which, is pretty much taken for granted that they're allowed to do) what's going to be their function? Amending the Rules of Civil Procedure and disciplining Lawyers? They should change their name, in that case, from the Supreme Court, to the Florida Administrative Court. I mean...what's Supreme about a court that just answers certified questions from Appellate Districts, with no power to call out a crooked, and RETARDED governing body?

Ugh. Since the Tragic Events of September Eleventh, it has become glaringly apparent that I need to become Supreme Ruler of this Country and State, with my equal-justice, and un-corrupted ideals. I mean, is it so naieve and idealistic of me to want to let everyone just be themselves, and think their own thoughts without bombing them, and let government fight it out the old fashioned way, instead of making parts of it, oh, Obsolete?