The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Why is it that such a large majority of Republicans were in favor of NSA spying when President George W. Bush was in office, yet feel that current President Barack Obama should be impeached over it, and why were so many Democrats against NSA spying when Bush was president, yet are suddenly in favor of it now that Obama is the man in charge? The only line of reasoning where this would make any sense to me is if we put impeachment off the table and just think about things from a trust and approval standpoint. Most Republicans trusted and approved of then President George W. Bush, so they weren't as paranoid about being spied upon as they are under Democratic President Barack Obama, and vice versa for most Democrats. When we include the word impeachment, then that before-mentioned line of reasoning can be crumpled up and thrown in the trash. Republicans Before 2009: "Bush shouldn't be impeached for NSA spying." 2009-present: "Obama should be impeached for ...

Ever since the bill's passage on October 26th of 2001, I have felt that the Patriot Act has been ill-named and in need of definite reform. Unfortunately, as recent news has showcased, the Obama Administration has carried on with the law in a very similar manner to the previous administration, and while I have defended the president on both Benghazi and the IRS, I can do no such thing when it comes to the AP leaks or the continued spying by the NSA. That's not change I can believe in right there. In case readers are unfamiliar with the nearly 12-year old law, here is a list of some of the most controversial portions of it that I feel are in need of reform: - "Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain 'any tangible thing' relevant to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the 'thing' pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizur...

I know my parents are like this. I'm curious if most people are. As soon as it gets dark, the shades must be closed. Why? Because according to them, there could be people just outside the house looking in wanting to see an exciting show, you know, of them watching television shows. That or neighbors from hundreds of yards away have their binoculars in hand and are peeking through, because well, they've got nothing going on, right? Really? Do we really have to worry about that? Do married couples, children or even single adults really do that? "So, what should I/we do tonight? Watch 'CSI'? Watch the game? Read a book? Listen to some music? Play video games? Check e-mail? Sleep? Oh, I know, I'm going to watch the neighbors if their shades are open. That will be a blast! I'm going to make some popcorn!" I think I may keep the shades open all night and dance in the nude. I'll have to wait and see if I wind up on YouTube, that or the cops knock on...

I wonder what the likelihood is of men's age and crabbiness to increase alongside one another. I don't know the exact percentage, but with the old man I bumped into a few year's ago, that percentage is 100% (1 for 1...small sample size, I know). Directly behind our old house is a public horsetrail for people to ride their horses, walk their dogs or jog. We have two Siberian Huskies and if anyone knows anything about these kind of dogs, they need their share of exercise. Because of that, I try to take them for 3-4 walks a day. I've been doing this for I don't know how long now. Today, I walked (literally) into a situation I never had before. At around 1:00 PM central standard time, my mom and I took our two dogs for a walk. Every day, I take them eastbound and side-by-side, there are two houses with fences or gates that have dogs (go figure). The yard that's fenced in has an underground pool and a tan lab or retriever-looking dog. Regardless of how near or fa...