Sure, you've heard of the Patriot Act, and you know about the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.  Many Americans are cynical about the human rights record of the Bush administration.  But, what do you know about these directives and acts Bush signed into law  in the past few months -- The John Warner Defense Appropriation Act, The Military Commissions Act, The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directives?  These acts and directives give dictatorial powers to the President of the United States, and leave open the question -- are these guys planning to leave office?

> Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: This rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour - when decisions are hard and courage is tested.

Hey how else could I ignore the advice of the whole world if I didn't pass my courage test.  

> We enter the year 2007 with large endeavors underway, and others that are ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies - and the wisdom to face them together.

Which shows about how much wisdom I show by facing things alone.

> Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror ­ and our safety here at home.

I'll leave that in future tense since it hasn't started yet.

> The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.

Or at least put off failure until I'm out of here.

> When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation.

What, you're not still willing to applaud about that?  Rough crowd in here tonight.

Janitors in Houston won an important victory on Monday Nov. 20th, under direction of their union, the SEIU. Now, for the first time, Houston's downtown janitors will be under a contract. Over the next three years, their pay will go up gradually from minimum wage to $7.75, and they will get more benefits and hours. These were people trying to live in Houston on $20 a day, as most janitors were limited to four hours of work, so that the employers could avoid paying benefits. They fought injustice and won, demonstrating to Latinos and others the value of unity and organization. For a period of three weeks, the janitors dominated downtown, with marches, rallies, press conferences, civil disobedience, chanting and drumming. Other oppressed groups can learn from their example.

see the video

We were seen quickly and allowed to deliver a letter. The Cónsul General of México accepted, and signed the letter agreeing to pass it on, and thanked us for not obstructing his building this time.

Both "Minuteman" James Gilchrist and those who took over the stage when he began to speak at Columbia University were attempting to express free speech. Gilchrist had more authority to speak than the protesters, and that is the essential distinction. To portray it as an issue of free speech vs. anti-free speech is disingenuous.

Do invited speakers have more right to free speech than others? People in the U.S. are familiar with a society where invited speakers are allowed to have the stage for an hour and where audiences should keep quiet, but this is only custom. The members of the audience have every much a right to be heard as the more famous speakers.

In response to the Red Alert, Houstonians gathered in protest on Cinco de Mayo at the Mexican Consulate at 9am. photos

The US vigilante group, The Minutemen, use language intended to have mass appeal.  In Minutemen rhetoric, illegal immigrants are connected to crime, terrorism, drugs, and disease.  While the ACLU, The Southern Poverty Law Center, and The League of United Latin American Citizens monitor the activities of the Minutemen, it is also important to examine the rhetoric, to question what purposes and forces it serves, and where it falls short.