Your tax dollars at work.

DOJ may aid Microsoft in appeal by states

] Unlike its hastily passed predecessor, the Justice
] Department's wide-ranging follow-up to the Patriot Act of
] 2001 is already facing intense scrutiny, just days after
] a civil rights group posted a leaked version of the
] legislation on its website.
] The legislation, nicknamed Patriot II, would broadly
] expand the government's surveillance and detention
] powers. Among other measures, it calls for the creation
] of a terrorist DNA database and allows the attorney
] general to revoke citizenship of those who provide
] "material support" to terrorist groups.

Very scary read at where the DoJ wants to go!

Wired News: A Chilly Response to 'Patriot II'

Despite the dotcom boom and bust, the computer and telecommunications revolution has barely begun. Over the next few decades, the internet and related technologies really will profoundly transform society

Finally, someone who gets it.

We've only just begun

] In a move praised by conservatives and criticized by
] abortion rights activists, President Bush declared
] January 19 "National Sanctity of Human Life Day."
] Tuesday's presidential proclamation was issued in advance
] of next week's 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade
] Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion in the
] United States. Conservatives have sought for years to
] overturn that decision.

So do we get a day off from work?

Bush declares National Sanctity of Human Life Day

] "Gates also offered his typical bits of self-deprecating
] humor, starting with a handful of New Year's resolutions
] he considered, beginning with finally getting a college
] degree. "And I think it's time to pitch USA on doing a
] sequel to that great special, 'Pirates of Silicon
] Valley.'"
] The billionaire also highlighted new anti-spam technology
] in MSN, Microsoft's Internet service, by noting the types
] of e-mail messages he was no longer receiving. He said he
] had second thoughts about missing out on all those offers
] for prepaid legal services. "You get the top law firms
] for pennies a day," he said while reading from a typical
] solicitation. "That would be a significant savings in my
] case." "

Bill Gates to finally get his college degree

] "Admiral's Wedding: This wedding includes one and a half
] hours on the bridge of the USS Enterprise for rehearsal
] and ceremony, wedding photography, wedding video, choice
] of four Star Trek characters to be present at your
] wedding, a wedding certificate, a brass plaque
] recognizing your wedding date on display in Quark's bar
] and restaurant and tickets to the Voyage Through Space
] and History of the Future exhibit for the wedding party
] (up to 30)."

Weddings at Star Trek the Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton

] "It's time to def1ne the new era. Our faith has been
] shaken. We've lost con%uFB01dence in our leaders and in
] our institutions. Our beliefs have been tested. We've
] discredited the notion that the Internet would change
] everything ( and the stock market would buy us an exit
] strategy from the grind ). Our expectations have been
] dashed. We've abandoned the idea that work should be a
] 24-hour-a-day rush and that careers should be a wild
] adventure. Yet we're still holding on. "

Thought this was a good read....Take a few minutes
and read it.

What Should I Do With My Life?

] "We're well on our way to squelching what gives this
] country an edge. What would it take to kill innovation
] altogether?

] As a casual observer of what makes this country work and
] what stops it cold, I hereby offer a few suggestions on
] how we can ruin American competitiveness and innovation
] in the course of this century. I think the reader will
] agree with me that we are already far down the road on
] many of them:
]
] "

How to Ruin American Enterprise by Ben Stein

] "Actor Robert Redford (news), in an op-ed opinion piece
] published in the Los Angeles Times, accused the Bush
] administration on Monday of "lack of leadership" for
] failing to wean the United States from dependence on
] fossil fuels.
]
] The actor, a longtime solar power advocate, warned that
] the nation's wasteful use of gas and oil created
] political problems abroad and air pollution at home."

Redford Says Patriotism Means Weaning US from Oil

] "Casting doubt on a basic principle of U.S. anti-drug
] policies, an independent study concluded on Monday that
] marijuana use does not lead teenagers to experiment with
] hard drugs like heroin or cocaine.
]
] The study by the private, nonprofit RAND Drug Policy
] Research Center countered the theory that marijuana acts
] as a so-called gateway drug to more harmful narcotics, a
] key argument against legalizing pot in the United States.
]
] "

Study: Marijuana May Not Lead to Hard Drugs