Vegas, baby! Vegas!

So last week my boss asked me if I wanted to go out and do inspections in Vegas and I figured, "what the heck." So I flew to Vegas Sunday night and spent Monday-Thursday in the friggen ridiculous desert heat taking pictures of cracks in houses. It wasn't difficult work but it sure was draining. By 5:00 you are definitely ready to go home and take a shower. It's the first time I've been in dry heat... it's really not bad compared to Oklahoma. It may be 100 degrees at 10:00 at night... but it's only 10% humidity so it doesn't feel that uncomfortable... just freakishly warm. So I got through that alright... it was nice to take a break from sitting in front of a computer 7:30-5:00. Now I'm back and there are a whole lot of files to format.

My time in San Diego is almost over... school starts in a few weeks. I get to see my cats again in a couple weeks. I've enjoyed myself here for the most part... despite the inordinate amount of stress I went through readjusting to America. So it goes.

Oh yeah! I wouldn't be surprised if FOX and CNN aren't giving it much coverage but a court in Detroit ruled that Bush's surveilance programs (remember the one where he bypassed the top-secret special court set up to allow wire-taps in special circumstances like national security? The one where they obtained phone records and cel phone records for essentially the whole of America and indiscriminately combed all of our personal conversations for 'potential threats'?) violate the seperation of powers outlined in the Constitution (the part that says we have 3 branches of government so that no one branch can wield all the power) and the 4th amendment (the part that says "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.") The court ordered the surveilance programs shut down. This is the first victory for the good guys in a looooooooooooong time... now, of course, Bush's lawyers have appealed and both sides have agreed to a stay of execution. We'll see what happens next... but now at least the United States government's judicial branch has called a duck a duck and labeled Bush's actions for the past 6 years unconstitutional... you might even call that un-American.

And lastly, I've been asked alot lately what the Section Eight in my blog name means. Primarily, it is a reference to the government's low-income housing program and to the name of a discharge from the military for reasons of mental instability/insanity. I thought it was fitting on both accounts. There's your trivia for today...

Peace... we may never have it everywhere in the world at once but if you stand for peace then it's a start. If you demand peace from your government it's a start. If you raise your voice and let it be heard... in your workplace, in your friends' homes, in elections, in the streets... then it's a start! A majority is made up of a bunch of individuals... we forget that sometimes when we think we can't do anything... when we think it's out of our hands... when we think it doesn't affect us. We forget that it takes a start before an end can be reached. What legacy are you leaving for your grandkids?