Thanksgiving morning and I’ve already reverted to my antisocial ways- I’ve staked out an armchair in which I can hear all conversations but don’t need to contribute to any. My last visit to middle America was a little more than 2 years ago- everything is changing but still quite the same.

My youngest cousin is a junior in college and president of his fraternity (needless to say a different college experience than my own). I remember him at an unruly age biting my brother (who no doubt deserved it- said brother is not at this mini-reunion and thus no biting will ensue). Though my cousins are all grown up my grandparents’ house remains eerily the same. The same uncomfortable green divan, the same harvest gold shag carpeting and the never-ending supply of oyster crackers in a glass mason jar on the kitchen counter (which will undoubtedly be devoured later this evening).

We may all grow older but every trip to Kansas reminds me of how much we really remain the same. It may be a story of my tenacious great-great-aunt taking a shotgun into the backyard and shooting at a dog who repeatedly snuck into the chicken coop when my grandmother was a child, the obligatory "you must have been traumatized!" horrified comment from my aunt, and my grandmother’s priceless response, "Not at all! That sneaky dog ought not have been sucking the eggs and harassing the chickens!" Or it may be the obligatory questions about our dating life, since I’m sure my grandparents have given up on seeing a firstborn great-grandchild from any of their grandchildren during their lifetime.

G: "Are you dating anyone right now?"

Me: "Nope, not really."

G: "Well, that’s ok, you still have time."

Me: "Yep, I’m good, don’t really have time to date much right now."

G: "Oh, well… sure." (thinking to herself of all of the eligible bachelors that she may know under the age of 60).

The other cousins and my aunt and uncle will join us later this afternoon to share in this family reunion. Honestly, the sixteen hours in a car (especially since this trip is sans siblings) are well worth the amusing stories I come home with… my family never ceases to entertain.

On the eve of election day the media is gauging how Saddam Hussein’s verdict, lower gas prices, and the incremental decrease in unemployment will effect the midterm elections.

Some Republicans are viewing Saddam’s death penalty as a vindication of Bush..s decision to go to war. Bush’s stump speeches hail his decision to remove the Iraqi leader from power and argues that the world is better.

It is unarguable that Saddam Hussein was a power-driven and egomanical leader who placed his own needs over the needs of the Iraqi people and he used his position to commit crimes against humanity.

However, does Bush get to claim this verdict as a victory for the Republican party? Does incompetent foreign policy that brings down a war criminal still count as a victory when the Iraqis have simply traded a dictator for chaos?

If we are to find an issue that will truly effect the vote this election day, I propose that we ask our commander-in-chief, where is the war criminal that masterminded 9/11? Where are the weapons of mass destruction? My guess? North Korea.

Don’t be a statistic, get out and vote tomorrow.

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/irq-061106-news-eng

Though I do not claim superpowers I do attempt to thwart evil governments in a single bound. When I saw the recent Amnesty International press release calling for bloggers to stand up for freedom of speech on the Internet I thought I could put my evil genius to work on a good cause.

AI’s call to action coincides with an appeal on behalf of a blogger, Kianoosh Sanjari, who was detained this month in Iran. He was arrested earlier this month while reporting on clashes between security forces and supporters of Shi’a cleric Ayatollah Boroujerdi and is being held incommunicado and Amnesty International fears that he may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment. Sanjari had allegedly gone to the home of Ayatollah Boroujerdi in the capital, Tehran, to prepare a report on the clashes that were taking place there.

What is at stake here is the right for free speech not only on the Internet but also in any forum. What is so unbelievable is that these acts of censorship are occurring due to the collaboration of American companies with closed government systems such as China, Iran, etc.

Yahoo! via its Chinese partner company, Alibaba, has provided the Chinese authorities with private and confidential information about its users that has been used to convict and imprison journalists. It has also agreed to censor and deny access to information. Microsoft shut down the blog of New York Times researcher Zhao Jing on the basis of a Chinese government request. The company has also admitted that it responds to directions from the Chinese government in restricting users of MSN Spaces from using certain terms. Google has launched a censored version of its international search engine in China.

The regulation and censorship by American companies is providing an opportunity for governments or agencies to legitimize their censorship of bloggers who are peacefully expressing their views online. Unwarranted censorship has led to the senseless imprisonment of individuals and are a violation of basic human rights.

Chinese journalist Shi Tao used his Yahoo! account to email a US-based website about an internal government directive instructing journalists how to handle media coverage of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities." Yahoo! provided information to the government that was used in his prosecution.

Tunisian lawyer and human rights defender Mohammed Abbou is serving a three and a half year prison sentence largely for publishing articles critical of the Tunisian authorities on the Internet.

Vietnamese political dissident Truong Quoc Huy was first arrested in October 2005 with two other young people after chatting on a democracy and human rights website. He was held incommunicado for nine months then released, but on 18 August 2006 he was rearrested in an internet cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, where he had logged on to a chatroom. His whereabouts remain unknown and no charges have been publicized.

I urge you to make a stand as well, take a look at AI’s website, http://www.amnesty.org/, help make a difference.