Did everyone survive Christmas?

We had a good one this year. The kids were spoiled rotten and the family all got together for dinner and not one fight broke out. That in itself is a miracle.

I got a 1 gig card for my PSP (can't live without music), clothes, Charmed season 2 dvd set, a couple new purses, Ty beanie bears, couple movies for the PSP, money, an adorible cell phone holder, a Freebreeze scent player and a few other things.

Now the snow can go away and it can warm up. We had our white Christmas.

Just got back from a meeting and have to write up the coverage, but wanted to update this before I forget.

Breaking the law to spy on Americans

This is the direct reason Bush's vile Patriot Act didn't pass through the Senate. It's finally a wake up call - he's releasing his storm troopers on Americans.

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Breaking the law to spy on Americans
by kos
Fri Dec 16, 2005 at 02:36:19 PM PDT
Compelling piece by Hilzoy (from Obsidian Wings but guest blogging on Political Animal):



This is against the law. I have put references to the relevant statute below the fold; the brief version is: the law forbids warrantless surveillance of US citizens, and it provides procedures to be followed in emergencies that do not leave enough time for federal agents to get a warrant. If the NY Times report is correct, the government did not follow these procedures. It therefore acted illegally.

Bush's order is arguably unconstitutional as well: it seems to violate the fourth amendment, and it certainly violates the requirement (Article II, sec. 3) that the President "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed."

I am normally extremely wary of talking about impeachment. I think that impeachment is a trauma for the country, and that it should only be considered in extreme cases. Moreover, I think that the fact that Clinton was impeached raises the bar as far as impeaching Bush: two traumas in a row is really not good for the country, and even though my reluctance to go through a second impeachment benefits the very Republicans who needlessly inflicted the first on us, I don't care. It's bad for the country, and that matters most.

But I have a high bar, not a nonexistent one. And for a President to order violations of the law meets my criteria for impeachment. This is exactly what got Nixon in trouble: he ordered his subordinates to obstruct justice. To the extent that the two cases differ, the differences make what Bush did worse: after all, it's not as though warrants are hard to get, or the law makes no provision for emergencies. Bush could have followed the law had he wanted to. He chose to set it aside.

And this is something that no American should tolerate. We claim to have a government of laws, not of men. That claim means nothing if we are not prepared to act when a President (or anyone else) places himself above the law. If the New York Times report is true, then Bush should be impeached.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Has anyone seen this movie yet? If not, I HIGHLY recommend you go. Take the kids, get a tub of popcorn and enjoy. We'll see it again with Randy.

There's been some whining about the overtly religious tone, but I don't think so. The violence is just battle scenes, but it really isn't bloody.

The kids and I saw this last night and absolutely loved it! The talking animals were very believable. A cried when Aslan was killed and cheered when he was resurrected. The scenery is gorgeous!

I have to go dig out my old books on the series or just buy new ones. T loves to read, so he's very excited about a "new" fantasy series to read. It won't take the place of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but will happily sit with it. Anything that gets a child to want to read is wonderful.

G

Dogsledding

We went out dogsledding after the Steeler game today. It's the kids' favorite winter activity. They get to sled and the dogs get their exercise. We have large Goldens, so they need to run a lot to get rid of their excess energy. The kids sit in their saucer sleds and hold onto the dogs' leash and off they go.

Aphrodite is the stronger of the two dogs, so the kids fight over who gets to hold her most.

Snowy Day in PA

Couldn't sleep last night, so I've been up since 4 a.m. There's a 2-hour delay for schools in this area. That let the kids sleep in. Of course, T is up anyhow to play his video games. I made him go out and shovel off the steps first. He wasn't amused, but did it. The XBox is such a good carrot! :-)

I haven't been able to do much writing the past couple of weeks, A's oafy dog messed up my right thumb and it's been in a splint. She wanted up on my lap and I wasn't paying attention. She ran right into my hand and bent the thumb back. OUCH!!! She's a 65-pound Golden Retriever who thinks she's a 10-pound lap dog. I think she'll be getting a rock for Christmas! It still hurts, but I couldn't handle the splint any longer, so off it went.

Need to start decorating the house a bit, at least put up the tree. We don't go overboard with decorating. We'll finish up our Christmas shopping next week when hubby gets his vacation check. Won't put what the kids are getting since at least T snoops on here a lot .....

Hope everyone is well!