I was going to go to BLUG with Zan Lynx tonight, but found out that it had been cancelled, and access to the NIST building closed off to the public. So much for that theory.

We decided to go and eat at Taco Bell anyway (we had been planning to eat on the way), and then returned to the Louisville Compound. I gave Zan Lynx a tour of the Kohan game, and played through a campaign scenario while he watched.

Then he took his leave, and I thought, "Well, even though BLUG is closed, maybe things are starting to get back to normal, and we can breathe again." Then I load slashdot, which links to this article. Some people were predicting this, but it is still a hit in the gut.

Let me get this straight. Rescue workers in New York (bless them) have barely gotten underway with the task of picking up the rubble and sorting through the bodies, the nation is just now beginning to grieve, the airports haven't yet become operational, but already, members of congress are taking the opportunity to pull a fast one and fuck us all over with a new police state? This is the WORST thing they could do.

This is the sort of action that lends credence to the conspiracy nuts who believe that this entire gut-wrenching week has been a plot by the U.S. government to institute a totalitarian regime, with the television media as its propaganda puppet of fear. (Not a theory I believe, but one I have heard.)

We need to send a message to congress. We need to tell them that this nation has suffered enough tragedy already. We need to tell them that the nation needs to grieve, we need to heal, and we do NOT need them to be directing the war at the citizens who have been hurt by this.

I was going to go to bed, but now I'm going to start writing a snail mail letter (how long it will take to get there, I don't know, but this is too important). I'm going to send it to my representives. I'm going to urge them not to make things even more awful than they already are.

(Thoughts of civil disobedience and how the community should handle it if this hideous proposal becomes a reality now pass through my mind. But I think delving into that discussion just now would be jumping the gun.)

I've got a letter to write, so enough time has been spent here. Oh, and just in case worse does come to worse, I'm downloading the source code for openssh and GNU Privacy Guard right now. I recommend others do the same.