I remember September 11th, 2001 like it was yesterday. The despair, the grief, everything. I remember it. The sheer evil it took to do what was done was mind-numbing and the best summation of the term "crazy" that I've ever seen.

But as we sit here, embroiled in two wars, 7 years later, I find myself wondering who is/was really more evil. Our government or the terrorists?

For me, the loss of civil liberties, the death and destruction through war, the loss of our international standing are all crimes of worse caliber than anything a terrorist could do. Every day, I read stories that confirm that "we" are the ones who've lost our minds. Terrorists can destroy quickly, but so can we. The following story is one of an American citizen, detained and mistreated under the guise of "homeland security." If you don't understand what a ruse this whole "security" thing we're doing is, please stop reading; you're hopeless.

Our government has instilled a culture of "fear". We're more racist than we've ever been, this time aimed a slightly less black skin color. We gladly give up our freedoms so that people with high school educations can make us "feel" safe. We allow our government carte-blanche at the borders for fear that Americans have somehow been corrupted by terrorists. We've got to wake up.

History will look back on this time, I believe, as one where the American citizenry lost their minds and began destroying themselves. Our forefathers and grandfathers fought hand-to-hand to make this country one that embraces freedom. It took a couple dozen guys and a few airliners to take that back away.

For me, I'd rather see unadulterated evil from the hands of terrorists knocking down our buildings and killing our citizens, than have to watch our Government, in OUR INTERESTS, mistreat and murder on our behalf. Seriously, let the towers fall again.

No one who had been detained knew precisely why they were there. A few people were led into private rooms; others were questioned out in the open at desks a few feet from the crowd and then allowed to pass through customs. Some were sent to another section of the holding area with large computer screens and cameras, and then brought back. The uninformed consensus among the detainees was that some people would be fingerprinted, have their irises scanned and be sent back to the countries from which they had disembarked, regardless of citizenship status; others would be fingerprinted and allowed to stay; and the unlucky ones would be detained indefinitely and moved to a more permanent facility.

There was one British tourist in the group. Paul (also not his real name) was traveling with three friends who had passed through customs soon after their plane landed and were waiting for him on the other side of the metal barrier; he suspected he had been detained because of his dark skin. When he asked if he could go to the bathroom, one of the guards said, "I wouldn't." "What if someone has to?" I asked. "They will just have to hold it," the guard responded with a smile. Paul began to cry. I watched as he, over the course of four hours, went from feeling exuberant about his trip to New York to despising the entire country. "I speak the Queen's English," he said to me. "I'm third-generation British. I came to America because I've always wanted to come here, and now they've got me so scared that all I want to do is go home."

At JFK Airport, Denying Basic Rights Is Just Another Day at the Office

From the Washington Post:

4. Warren asked: Define rich. I mean, give me a number. Is it $50,000, $100,000, $200,000? Everybody keeps talking about, 'Well, we're going to tax the rich.' How do you define that?"

Give me a number? An odd question for anyone other than a tax attorney to ask. Are we talking $50,000 in Southern California or Southern Sudan? Rich for people who spend hundreds of millions running for public office or rich for people who work three jobs and can't afford health insurance?

A better question: Jesus never said anything about abortion or homosexuality, but he said plenty about wealth and poverty. As a Christian, define the difference between need and greed. How much is enough?

I still think a church is no place for a campaign event, and a clergy person has no business posing as political moderator. But if the church is going to insert itself into the electoral process, it should do so as the church and not as a political action committee.

Get on iTunes and buy this cd. Most impressive I've heard in years...

Big ups to the future Mr. and Mrs. Hoover who were engaged last night. Wedding on Nov 1st in Burbank.

Very happy for these guys; I'm pretty sure that the first time he mentioned her, I said "you're going to marry her." He probably said "pssh" or something like that. I do remember there was some serious concern early on that she didn't like cigars. We were very worried.

Just goes to show that there is some humanity...

Just before noon on July 13, 2005, a Plant City police car pulled up outside that shattered window. Two officers went into the house — and one stumbled back out.

Clutching his stomach, the rookie retched in the weeds.

Plant City Detective Mark Holste had been on the force for 18 years when he and his young partner were sent to the house on Old Sydney Road to stand by during a child abuse investigation. Someone had finally called the police.

They found a car parked outside. The driver's door was open and a woman was slumped over in her seat, sobbing. She was an investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families.

"Unbelievable," she told Holste. "The worst I've ever seen."