"Remember, remember the fifth of November; the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." - V For Vendetta
I thought that it was ironic that November 5 fell on right after election day over here in the U.S. where the Republicans trounced the Democrats and took back control of Senate and maintained control of the House; the see-saw of politics continues on (at least some things are predictable). Probably one of the most interesting races of the night for me was that the incumbent governor of Illinois was ousted by a new Republican challenger; we shall see how he does as the last vestiges of Rod Blagovicich (or however you write his name) are swept away. We'll see if this governor remains out of chains and if he can do anything positive about this state, or if indeed all of Illinois is ruled by Chicago. So apparently all of the mentally ill people decided to flood out of the woodworks the past couple of weeks as my job has been an unmitigated nightmare. And school is back in full swing again, so that has been.....well, challenging. I have a feeling I am really going to enjoy my degree once I acquire it and am able to utilize it in the capacity that I desire, but right now I truly hate grad school. Another ridiculously tragic occurrence is how cold it has been getting over here in the chilly tundra of Illinois; how I long for the warm, sunny beaches of San Diego. So in true form I celebrate Guy Fawkes day every year, and thus one year later where is the world in regards to liberty? Farther away sadly. I think perhaps one of the best examples of what the film V For Vendetta means to me is what happened over in the Ukraine; the people overthrew a corrupt government that was being puppeteered by Vladimir Putin and his Russian associates, and created something better, something that reflected what the people of Ukraine wanted and needed. This is what is trying to be done in Syria, and what was attempted in Egypt, Tunisia, China, and Libya; it hasn't gone as well in those places as it did in Ukraine, but Russia isn't making it easy for them either. Freedom is an idea, and it only grows if suppressed; all humans hunger deeply for freedom (along with lust and power) and will sacrifice often to acquire it. Even though we in Western civilization have nearly unlimited freedom, I have been noticing in greater frequency that we are getting more laws, ordinances, rules, guidelines, amendments and other political and legal jargon like words that are forcing people to do things they don't want to do. Even though they are small, that's how it begins; that slippery slope that nobody sees coming, not even after hit it hits you. It's only in hindsight that everything becomes clear. I would prefer that to not be us, any of us in the world. So hopefully everyone used their noodle effectively when they voted, because as unpleasant as it sounds, and I'm sure people don't like thinking about it, Hitler and the Nazis were at first voted into power. Well, there is the soap box for today. I would like to write more frequently, but I doubt that will happen; no time and no energy. Good luck, and good night all.
V's Alliterative Speech
V's Music
