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Big Brother, leave me the fuck alone.
Nov. 7th, 2006 08:48 pmOn my way out of the house to run an errand today, two army recruiters appeared on my doorstep asking for "Queen of Hearts".
I see two major possibilities:
1. Someone who has my home address, and knows I posted a ritual written by someone of that name in my LJ several weeks ago, thought it would be a funny prank to send an army recruiter to my house. Not very likely, but if it was you, fuck you very much.
2. Some government official became aware of the ritual and sent an army recruiter to see if "Queen of Hearts" lives at my house. (Since my address is a matter of public record, and since I believe I may be on one of the Federal "no-fly" / "harass-at-the-airport" lists, it'd be as simple as tracing an IP address or consulting the FAA to get my home address.)
Since I can't think of any of my friends who'd be so inconsiderate, disrespectful, and stupid as to send an army recruiter my way given my feelings on the state of habeas corpus and freedom in this country, I see possibility #2 as being distinctly more likely. This is something I find rather creepy, and understandably so, I think.
Therefore, I am stating for the record, for the benefit of anyone that may be watching this journal, that while I did post and distribute a political ritual I found on the Internet - a perfectly permissible and Constitutionally protected thing to do, I might add - I do not know or associate with, nor have I ever known or associated with, anyone who uses the pseudonym "Queen of Hearts". While I do openly disagree - usually vehemently - with most of the policies of the current White House administration and Congress, most especially those policies that ignore or castrate the Constitution, it is only because of my fierce loyalty to America, American values, and the Constitution itself that I feel this way in the first place. As anyone who knows me can attest, I am proudly and unashamedly liberal, gay, Jewish, and American, in no particular order, and I am equally unrepentant in my devotion to freedom and tolerance for all Americans, regardless of ethnic group, citizenship, religious beliefs, or potentially unpopular life choices, and in my (admittedly, not so humble) opinion, nothing could be more loyal or American than that. JUST TO BE COMPLETELY AND UNAMBIGUOUSLY CLEAR ABOUT THIS: I WOULD SOONER DRIVE RUSTY NAILS INTO MY OWN EYES AS SLOWLY AS I COULD, OR SAW OFF EACH OF MY FINGERS AND TOES WITH A BUTTER KNIFE, THAN ACT (DELIBERATELY OR OTHERWISE) AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I AM NOT, NEVER HAVE BEEN, AND NEVER WILL BE, A TERRORIST OF ANY KIND.
The fact that a disclaimer like the above had to be said in the first place is a sad, sad commentary on the state of this country today; since any of us can now be convicted on hearsay "evidence", denied the opportunity to see said evidence or consult an attorney, tortured until near death, and detained indefinitely without charge, even such a disclaimer is ultimately meaningless. But it was still smart and prudent, I think... along with being the only thing I'm able to do, given the situation.
(Which means that it will work.)
Also, it's worth pointing out that when we were surprised and asked him how he ended up with our address, he said something like, "Well, it was just in my list of places to visit today in the computer, but don't worry, this kind of thing happens all the time." He did seem genuinely unconcerned about it, as well as genuinely nice and honest (he told us a little about how he'd be retiring soon, since he'd had to get his knee replaced), so I suppose that's a bit reassuring, assuming it was genuine (and assuming he's not going to be interviewed by someone later).
I see two major possibilities:
1. Someone who has my home address, and knows I posted a ritual written by someone of that name in my LJ several weeks ago, thought it would be a funny prank to send an army recruiter to my house. Not very likely, but if it was you, fuck you very much.
2. Some government official became aware of the ritual and sent an army recruiter to see if "Queen of Hearts" lives at my house. (Since my address is a matter of public record, and since I believe I may be on one of the Federal "no-fly" / "harass-at-the-airport" lists, it'd be as simple as tracing an IP address or consulting the FAA to get my home address.)
Since I can't think of any of my friends who'd be so inconsiderate, disrespectful, and stupid as to send an army recruiter my way given my feelings on the state of habeas corpus and freedom in this country, I see possibility #2 as being distinctly more likely. This is something I find rather creepy, and understandably so, I think.
Therefore, I am stating for the record, for the benefit of anyone that may be watching this journal, that while I did post and distribute a political ritual I found on the Internet - a perfectly permissible and Constitutionally protected thing to do, I might add - I do not know or associate with, nor have I ever known or associated with, anyone who uses the pseudonym "Queen of Hearts". While I do openly disagree - usually vehemently - with most of the policies of the current White House administration and Congress, most especially those policies that ignore or castrate the Constitution, it is only because of my fierce loyalty to America, American values, and the Constitution itself that I feel this way in the first place. As anyone who knows me can attest, I am proudly and unashamedly liberal, gay, Jewish, and American, in no particular order, and I am equally unrepentant in my devotion to freedom and tolerance for all Americans, regardless of ethnic group, citizenship, religious beliefs, or potentially unpopular life choices, and in my (admittedly, not so humble) opinion, nothing could be more loyal or American than that. JUST TO BE COMPLETELY AND UNAMBIGUOUSLY CLEAR ABOUT THIS: I WOULD SOONER DRIVE RUSTY NAILS INTO MY OWN EYES AS SLOWLY AS I COULD, OR SAW OFF EACH OF MY FINGERS AND TOES WITH A BUTTER KNIFE, THAN ACT (DELIBERATELY OR OTHERWISE) AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I AM NOT, NEVER HAVE BEEN, AND NEVER WILL BE, A TERRORIST OF ANY KIND.
The fact that a disclaimer like the above had to be said in the first place is a sad, sad commentary on the state of this country today; since any of us can now be convicted on hearsay "evidence", denied the opportunity to see said evidence or consult an attorney, tortured until near death, and detained indefinitely without charge, even such a disclaimer is ultimately meaningless. But it was still smart and prudent, I think... along with being the only thing I'm able to do, given the situation.
(Which means that it will work.)
Also, it's worth pointing out that when we were surprised and asked him how he ended up with our address, he said something like, "Well, it was just in my list of places to visit today in the computer, but don't worry, this kind of thing happens all the time." He did seem genuinely unconcerned about it, as well as genuinely nice and honest (he told us a little about how he'd be retiring soon, since he'd had to get his knee replaced), so I suppose that's a bit reassuring, assuming it was genuine (and assuming he's not going to be interviewed by someone later).
