Today was an unusual Friday. The company provided a yummy lunch of hot dogs and bratwurst (the only "charge" being that people were asked to put some money in a box to be sent to the Red Cross). Company movie day went ahead as previously planned. We watched Office Space via DVD and a projector, which was as absolutely hilarious as it was when I saw it long ago, perhaps even moreso due to the awareness that it was being watched by a room full of office workers. Heehee. (Yes, this is proof positive that I work in a cool company.)

[Bitscape retrieves his mail via an ssl connection to which the government has no backdoors. An apparent threat to national security in the minds of some people.]

And yes, I'm going to talk about that topic some more again. I keep thinking that I'll have a break from it, since the dust might be starting to settle, but always something more comes up. Maybe it would go away if I completely isolate myself from all news sources, plug my ears, close my eyes, and return to my cave for a long, long, long time. But then again, if and when I do finally come out, the world could have become a completely different place. And so I comment...

Nationalism is on the rise. Big time. You don't have to be watching the news to see that. They were passing out little American flags at work today, which people could use to decorate their cubes if desired. (I noted with no small irony that the words "Made in China" were printed in not-so-fine lettering on the plastic.) I hung mine up near the cube entrance on my desk. I would have put it up on the top of the wall, but it didn't quite fit right.

I stand by the flag because I believe in the ideals that I was raised to think it represents. However, I do so with reservation. I am concerned about the potential for injustices to be committed under the banner of this flag, both inside and outside the country's borders. I hear talk of "war campaigns", and of swift, broadly worded congressional measures to curtail the liberties of U.S. citizens. Investigators haven't even finished finding out who was involved, or what means (and communication channels) perpetrators used to plot this gruesome attack, but somehow our representives claim that they have an authoritative recipe to secure the people from future harm?

Emotions are running high. I have posted my share of heated words in this space over the past few days. In honesty, right now, the greatest concern foremost on my mind are the resolutions being passed (or likely soon to be passed) by the House and Senate regarding online privacy. I am most concerned about it for selfish reasons. It is likely to affect me personally more than anything else I've heard about.

If I were a someone living in Afghanistan, I would be more worried about my city getting bombed by fighter jets in the near future. If I knew someone in New York, and hadn't heard from them yet, I would be scared for their safety. If I were of Arab descent and/or a Muslim living in this country, I would be worried about my religious freedom, social ostracization, and possibly even my personal safety.

There is a lot of fear for everybody, but there is also a lot of faith. The faith must be nurtured, and the fear (though sometimes healthy) kept in check. Faith that even though awful things have happened, and even more bad things might occur in the future, the world will go on, and life will prosper. Many people have died, but the human species as a whole is strong and well. And even after this disaster, combined with what may transpire as a result of it, every person is lucky to be alive, have plenty of food (for those of us that live in countries so fortunate), and a place to live, and air to breathe. Breathe deeply.

I'm still going to finish writing my letter to congress, urging them not to curtail our liberties to communicate in private. I will do so with the above paragraph in mind. Peace.