What is up with the government spying on Americans? 60% of the illegally obtained phone records and emails by the FBI were of U.S. citizens? Really? It's o.k. to do this whole unreasonable search and seizure? Nobody's going to march in the streets? No furious commentary on the news? No one yelling, "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" out of their windows?

My right to privacy is paramount and with all the new technology and me being recorded by cameras even when I'm driving down the road is getting out of hand. When you can't pick your nose at a stoplight without fearing it will one day be on YouTube, we need to rethink some things.

Just so I won't get all pissed off about this, I will wrap this up with a song. Rockwell was a prophet!

We got a press announcement from Rep. Michael McCaul and this was the logo on his letterhead...seriously? A needlework version of the House Of Representatives logo?

Tacky.

I hate when I see a blog trying to decide which is worse: racism or sexism. They are both equally awful; debating the reasons they both suck gets us nowhere. In this vein, Keith Olbermann last night took on Clinton's campaign for not distancing themselves from Ferraro's comments that Obama is lucky to be who he is: a black man in this election season. See what you think:

I had to go to a meeting in Houston the other day and as I was driving down with some people I work with, we got to talking about growing up in the South. We talked about shellin' peas, catfish fishin', going to the swimmin' hole and running around barefoot all summer long. Those really were the good ol' days. Things are different now. I think for the first time I kind of understood why people try to harken back to a simpler time when it was family and Faith. A lot of us do have good memories of those times in our lives.

The trouble is that, in reality, things were tough back then. People were oppressed and poor and inflation was high and things were just as wrong then as they are now. The difference is, we didn't know any better. If we did, we didn't care so much because we had a big loving family and miles of country roads full of blackberries growing along the side and neighbors that would come out and bar-b-que while the kids chased lightning bugs.

Nostalgia isn't a good thing. You can die from it. My memories of any idyllic childhood shaped who I am, but the world has changed...and I've changed along with it. When politicians try to force that nostalgia on me I laugh because I know that things will never be that way again and we have to keep moving forward.

The life we have today is just as good as those summers spent running around grandma's backyard...they're just different. Embracing the change and adapting to it is what makes us a strong country. Not looking back at the past and wistfully remembering things in hopes they could be that simple again.

Once again, Texas is left out of a good sex scandal. The tri-state area governors are monopolizing the good sex stories.The governor of NY was spending thousands of dollars on hookers. Thousands? Really? They must have been lined with gold.

I don't know what it says about your chances to get laid if even the governor of NY has to pay for it. Your tired little job in a junior legislators office surely isn't going to drop any panties.

Yes, it's me, Bluebonnet, back again. - BB

Todd Gallaher, a former staffer for Republican State Sen. Bob Deuell's office, has been accused of impersonating a Democratic lawmaker and a Dallas Morning News reporter. He reportedly sent a mass email from repjuangarcia@hotmail.com (not Juan Garcia's real email address, obvs) with a decade's old photo of a candidate for Aransas County Sheriff showing some, erm, skin before the primary, and then went on to impersonate a reporter for a phone discussion with a California ethics group.

After these accusations came to light, Gallaher resigned. His former boss Deuell says, "Todd made an error in judgment, and I hate it because Todd's judgment is usually very good." That is one ginormous error in judgment.

[DMN]

Ok, you've seen my obsession with hulu.com. They've sent me 10 invites. If you watch TV online and want to experience the greatness of this amazing user experience, high quality video player and long list of shows in their directory, email me and I'll send you an invite to the beta site.

My email is up there in the top right, I think. Pinkdomenews

A friend emailed me and said they were astonished that in a session about the influence of blogs, the speaker mentioned a "political blog in town that used to be known for really bad photoshop'ing of elected officials."

Aww, we remember those halcyon days, too. I had so much more free time to be a raging bitch. Now, I'm just so dang busy.

I'm getting a lot of emails from Dawnna Dukes. It's like she finally realized she better let people know she's around and doing something. Good. I'd hate to only be known as the legislator that supports Tom Craddick and goes to Paris when there's a big vote going on, too.

She has sent scathing letters to the Austin City Council members that have screwed the Villa Muse development. They were pretty well written, if a little long-winded.

This whole Villa Muse things sounds tops, doesn't it? But, I just have a super hard time believing there will really be a $2 billion development out there. I'd have to see some bank statements that showed you had the money in the bank before I voted on anything. Anybody been on Enfield Road lately and seen the abandoned eyesore that was supposed to be the Pleiades condos?

I'm all for development, $2 billion dollar investments and smart growth. What I'm not for is a bunch of half-built buildings all over the DMA because of ambition without funds.

Oklahoma legislator Sally Kern is mindboggling to listen to this ignorance and hate. Nice Christian...stupid as a box of rocks, though.

Seriously? This ignorant, hate-filled language is appalling. I don't even know how to react except to say I condemn her.