Paranoia
Did you ever get the odd feeling that you were being completely paranoid, and that the world seemed to be conspiring against you?
Maybe It Is
With all the crazy crap that this administration had done in the name of keeping this country safe from terrorism, and then cleverly trying to make it all legal by calling it “the Patriot Act”, it’s no wonder I get more and more paranoid.
How many of my phone calls may have been listened in on? How might my internet activity been tracked? Have my library records been looked at to see my book rental activity? How many folks are currently being held as enemy combatants in the various CIA prisons around the world, without access to any legal protections? How soon before the U.S. starts poisoning it’s perceived enemies as Russia seems to have done?
You’d never know it, but I think the concept of the Patriot Act is a great idea. Using any tools we can to protect ourselves against religious fanatics.
That is, unless the religious fanatics are running my government, and using anti-terrorist legislation to combat all things immoral.
I have to stop watching PBS.
Current Knitting
I did absolutely no work at all on the colorblock cardigan. I got completely swept up in the new Lavold-inspired pullover using my handspun bulky.
I finished the bottom edge, and picked up stitches and knit up just over the arm hole shaping. It’s amazing how quickly a sweater goes on US10 needles.
As they say, “just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you…” I recently read Confessions of An Economic Hitman by John Perkins in which he admits to his role in a plan by the leaders of the US to ensure its/their economic status in the world. It was/is accomplished primarily through economic manipulation, cheating, fraud and more. I thought that I was being paranoid about the CIA and others; turns out (if I believe Perkins’ book) that they are after us!
I love the Lavold so far. And those #10 needles…see what I mean! (I’m working on #3’s at the moment.)
I don’t think I’ve commented here before, but I’ve been reading for a couple of months. Hi.
My husband and I had a similar conversation last week. I moved out of the US, and still all we can talk about is how bad the Bush administration is. Now that the sinister plots of Bush, Rove, Cheney, and gang (including Rummy) are slowly unraveling, it dawns on me that we are living “Wag the Dog”. You get this feeling that it’s all been orchestrated so deftly that we’re seeing just tiny glimpses of how awful things really are and we won’t ever really know how bad it is despite the fact that we and future generations will most certainly be paying for it. At the same time, you get the feeling that if you believe that, you’re automatically a conspiracy theorist. So there’s no winning.
Good article here.
Sweater looks great! I can’t believe you spun all that yourself. I still produce hat-sized quantities…
Tom and I often say that if the feds are listening into our conversations, they will die of boredom. “Is it time to take the car in for an oil change?” “What time is James’ dental appointment” Snooze. Not that I want them to, mind you.
It is very frightening what has been happening since Dubya came into power. Now that we have a Democratic Congress, we are finally seeing some semblance of the checks and balances that our Constitution designs. I hope it’s not too little too late.
Harkening back to another post, Joe, did you see PBS is running a documentary on Mormonism beginning tonight? I’ll let you know if they mention the white salamander.
I have found that people who support the Patriot Act don’t have names or faces that detain them at airports. Blonde haired, blue eyed John Smith thinks it’s great. Anything that side steps the constitution and allows the government to operate without checks and balances can’t be a good thing.
the worst part is how many of us [even seemingly liberal] folks are willing to accept a lower bar of personal freedom now that the patriot act has gone so far to usurp what we have had for many years. this, i’m afraid, will only get worse until it either is totally reveresed or …
🙁
I thought you were knitting a scarf? when did it turn into a sweater?
Years ago, in one of the John D. MacDonald “Travis McGee” books, that to confound the tracking of our info we should register everywhere we can, sign up on every computer net we can, in short flood all the systems with all our info so the whole thing gets to be such a mess no one can navigate it. And I would be Barb B., Barb J. B., Barb J. Brown etc etc etc. Sort of sounds feasible? And then to quote another author “Just cause I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean I’m crazy”.
Barb B.
I love the idea of the government tracking everything I do on the net – how boring that is; watching this kid read blogs and scour the net for yarn and patterns for knitting! – maybe my activity will bore them into submission…
anyway, love the sweater you’re doing – did you do that much work all in one day? That would take me weeks of knitting – I guess because I don’t have a lot of time to devote to my craft! (AND you spin??!!) – wow… you must never sleep!
Will you be attending the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival?
bjrest
I used to belong to a Britain / Cuba friendship organisation . A friend who had delivered papers told me the names and addresses of all subscribers to “The Morning Star” had to be reported.I wondered if my phone might be monitored then decided that I’d just bore the listener to death . I won’t say how appalled I am about any imprisonment without trial .It’s local elections here tomorrow and for the first time ever I can’t vote Labour and have to go Lib/Dem .
Piękne!!!pozdrawiam!!
http://ewciaks.blox.pl/html
Hey Joe: long time no comments from me… so it looks like you’re doing the Lavold on straight (gayly forward?) needles–perhaps Brittany’s? Doesn’t that get heavy, especially using bulky yarn?
Glad you enjoyed Middlesex—what an amazing piece of work that book is, eh? Amazing background, very compelling story!