And the Award Goes To...

So, where are we? George W. Bush and his minions are defending their version of the Constitution. The Oscar nominations are imminent, which will likely feature Best Picture nods for films featuring the subversive subject of love and the longing for acceptance; our nation's addiction to oil and the democracy-challenged regimes that supply it; a quaint history of our long-solved problem of race; and a journalist who stood up to a crazy politician and his minions defending their version of the Constitution. W. for Best Actor? (Too easy, I know.)

I hope that the President's tour, which started today in Kansas, will foster an open and vigorous debate about the checks and balances of our government; to what extent the "war on terror" compells us to rethink that balance; the values we are willing to compromise for our security; and whose freedoms we are willing to sacrifice to keep the rest of us safe.

I saw Al Gore's impassioned (and a bit long) speech about warrentless wiretaps. He spoke to a full house at Constitution Hall (it took me half an hour to get it) full of like-minded progressives who thnks that the NSA's monitoring the phone calls of Americans to be slightly disturbing, regardless of where those calls originate. The take home message of the speech seemed to me to be that we should have a vigorous nations debate about this issue, with all branches of government doing their jobs. Call Al crazy. (To decide how crazy, see www.libertycoalition.org for a transcript of the speech.)

Al also admonished all of us to do our jobs; that is, excercise the rights that Tom and John and all of those wig-wearing Founding Fathers staked their lives on. The consent of the governed, et al. As long as they're listening to the calls of terrorists, it's ok? As long as they're listening to the calls of supporters of terrorists, it's ok? As long as they're listenining to the family of supporters of terrorists, and the friends of friends of terrorists, and the friends of friends of people who know a lot of Arabs, it's ok?

Oh, wait, that's me. Is it OK for the NSA to listen to my phone calls and monitor my emails, and watch where I go and who I see and what I read and what I'm writing right now? And what you're reading right now? Is it ok for the FBI to look into the activities of my friends who work to aid those Arabs who are suffering from poverty, ignorance, and hopelessness?

Is this too hysterical a response , a misunderstanding of the threats facing America, as a spokewoman for the RNC put is? To my mind, the threat is indeed too serious NOT to argue vigorously, and publicly, how our nation has and will respond to what is undoubtedly going to be a decades-long threat to our national security. I hope that our elected officials won't shy away from their responsibility. I hope my fellow citizens will allow an intelligent and thoughtful debate and won't threaten representatives who have the guts to openly discuss these issues.

I hope, too, that Jake Gyllenhal wins Best Supporting Actor.