Whole lotta hoot, leeeeettle bit of nanny

It's been a long time since a Democrat has had a reason to celebrate. A long time since a sane person has had a reason to feel good about the United States Congress. Is this the beginning of the end of crazy? Last week Congress voted against the Administration; it seems like someone in some office down on Capitol Hill finally realized that there are plenty of Americans, some might say a majority, who don't want a cluster-fuck for a government. Who knew?

On Wednesday, the House voted 238-187 to protect reader's privacy by removing powers from the Patriot Act that allow federal agents to seize library and bookstore records without a subpoena. The revision to Section 215 would require those agents to, you know, present probable cause to a judge before ransacking a library. Now I'm all for preventing people from reading too much about certain off-limit subject matters. Kids should not read about witches because they'll turn to Satan. People should not have to be exposed to controversial and provocative thought through words, or God-forbid, art. Law-abiding citizens should not want to learn about terrorism and maybe check out a book or browse Barnes and Noble. And besides, if you didn't do anything wrong, why would you mind if the FBI went through your reading records and didn't get a warrant to do so?

The Patriot Act is a dangerous intrusion on civil liberties, and everyone knows it. The problem is, some people believe it is necessary. I am not one of those people. I learned that you cannot give up essential liberties in exchange for temporary security from Ben Franklin. I learned that America is an idea - that government exists to ensure the freedom and liberty of its citizens - that must be protected above all else from Aaron Sorkin. And I learned that the human being and fish can coexist peacefully from President Bush. So this asinine attempt by the reigning monarchy to bring every aspect of a person's life under personal scrutiny will fail, eventually if not sooner, because it is fundamentally un-American. And everyone knows it.

President Bush believes in something - that he can create freedom using the might of his army. I don't doubt the sincerity of his faith. In fact, he believes it so much that he is willing to sacrifice this country in order to prove it. Democrats, Independents, and people with perspective have to find a way to stop it. The Freedom to Read Amendment is a small but important step for the opposition, which has finally found its voice.

This is Not a Top Ten List

There are people who love dark, artsy movies and people who love explosive action flicks. Some like foreign movies and some watch movies so forgettably boring that they are halfway through a second viewing before they realize they've already seen it. I'll watch any of the above, but mostly I pick up overhyped Hollywood hits because they are guaranteed in stock. Here is a recent sampling:

Sideways
Terrible. Boring. Nonsensical. Guy about to be married goes on a bachelor party weekend to wine country with his sad friend. Guy sleeps around. Friend is sad. Guy tries to get friend laid. Friend is sad. Guy tries to cheer friend up. Friend is drunk. Wine is hard to make because grapes are complex, like people. Friend is sad. The end.

Finding Neverland
Awesome. Emotional. Beautiful. Johnny Depp is Edward Scissorhands good and Kate Winslet is not annoying at all - more Ophelia than Rose Dewitt Bukater. The movie is about Sir James Matthew Barrie and his writing of Peter Pan. The scenery is gorgeous and the characters are heroic and flawed. We could not turn it off.

Meet the Fockers
Funny, but not hilarious. It was better than I expected, but took a long time getting there. 45 minutes in we were already fidgeting, but overall I was surprised that I didn't find it more offensive. There were some very nasty scenes but nothing unwatchable like in American Wedding. I would give this a resounding meh.

Lemony Snicket
Jim Carrey. More Jim Carrey. More than enough Jim Carrey. We picked up this movie because I've read the books and thought they were imaginative and adventerous - three orphans and a Series of Unfortunate Events ranging from a fire that claimed their parents to a quest across leech-infested waters and a long climb up an elevator shaft. I wanted to see what a big budget and a big-name cast could do with the set designs and characters. Unfortunately, I had a hard time watching it because Jim Carrey kept bloviating all over my TV.

Moral: I need to rent better movies.