Quote Originally Posted by yokinazu
but my point is that im not all that thrilled with the fact that now i will have to worry about haveing my conversations listened to when i call them or they call me. especially due to he fact that their step father is a muslim. and am i going to be labeled as a smpathizer because i have muslim in my family?
This is the kind of paranoia that's constantly being fed by conspiracy theorists, wanting you to believe that the government is out to get you. I have extended family who lives in Italy and throughout Europe, many of whom I talk to fairly frequently. One of my cousins lives in Italy, and is a practicing Buddhist. Now, I know Buddhists are certainly going to be considered less of a threat to many people than Muslims, but under the same premise, they're not fundamentalist Christians and therefore could be grouped with the same radical Muslim factions that our government is looking thwart.

While some of our conversations may well have been listened to for all I know, I've never found any reason to suspect that this was so. When you start your conversation off with, "How's your mother?" or "Did you make it to the Cannabis Cup this year?" -- and NOT, "Hey, I think I've got the schematics down for this suicide vest."...then I've given anyone who may be listening no reason to suspect that I may be plotting something. I've never gotten a follow-up call from DHS after my conversations, and my door has never been kicked in. And this wouldn't happen, because for the thousandth time...I've done nothing wrong.

As for third party representation, that would be a nice idea. I too am tired of the endless bickering between the Democrats and Republicans. While they spend weeks at a time arguing over a bill, they could be doing so many other productive things...like passing bills and other measures that would benefit their country, as opposed to stalling tactics that typically end in a stalemate. I'm Republican by choice, but that's not to say I'll only vote Republican. (I didn't vote for Bush in either of the last two elections.) I'll vote for anyone who will focus on making our country a better place for her citizens...be they Democrat, Republican, or Independent. These are all just labels. We're all Americans, regardless of how the extreme dissenters may feel about it.