Ch ch changes

It might be a little late but happy fuckin new year. Like many new years of the past we make resolutions and promises of change. Once again, I am attempting to kick some nasty ass habits (picking my nose), exercise, but more importantly, to go where no Puerto Rican has gone before, Snow Shoe-ing! Yep I am convert and eagerly looking for a pair of second hand snow shoes. Now, the technology for snow shoes has advanced, so they don't look like oversized tennis racquets which was kinda of a let down. Regardless, it was a very enjoyable experience and one that I hope to have more often.

So far this year has been off to a great start. Got my first Canadian paid gig of the year, and a video I produced last year went on the air last Wednesday. This one deals with prominent marijuana activist Marc Emery and how the DEA is trying to extradite him to the US and give him a life sentence for selling pot seeds. The clip plays on Current TV, so if you have cable look it up, but fuck it, TV is a dead medium anyway, so here, instant gratification.

On the politcal quagmire front, really enjoying the barrage of scandals plaging the Republicans. Not that you should be happy for the misfortunes of others, but let's be real, this Abramoff scandal, HAHAHAHAH! Speaking of congressmen last week I wrote to my congressman John Lewis and to my surprise he or someone in his office wrote back.

On the 'get out of your house and do something cool' in Vancouver, the Work Less Party is having a screening of their film 'Alarm Clocks Kill Dreams' tonight (Jan 10) at 8pm at the Pacific Cinematheque.

I have not fuckin idea what's happening in the ATL so would someone please give me clue.

Finally our new website address is http://submedia.tv and my new email addy is frank(at)submedia.tv

That's all for now y'all

love//the_stimulator

Response from Congressman Lewis

Last week I emailed my congressman back in Georgia. Alas, Mr. Lewis is man of the people, but a cautious man to say the least. Here it is


Dear Mr. Lopez:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the controversial domestic eavesdropping program that was secretly authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. I appreciate your interest in this issue and am glad to have the benefit of your views.

I, too, am extremely troubled by the revelation that President Bush authorized secret domestic surveillance operations without warrants and beyond the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). As you may know, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service issued a report in early January which concluded that the Administration’s justification for warrantless eavesdropping conflicts with existing law and hinges on questionable legal arguments, a conclusion that is shared by a number of notable Constitutional scholars.

I believe strongly that this matter deserves a thorough Congressional investigation, and if the Administration’s actions are found to be illegal, President Bush must bear the appropriate consequences. You may also be interested to know that in addition to calling for Congressional hearings, I, along with several of my House colleagues, have sent correspondence to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility requesting that they do an internal investigation into the role played by DOJ in the domestic surveillance program.

Make no mistake, terrorism is a serious threat and I believe that our government must do all that it can to protect our citizens from additional terrorist attacks, however I believe we can do so without abandoning the principles that have guided our nation for more than 200 years. The freedoms and protections guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights have made us the envy of the world. We must restore and protect those freedoms lest we forever change our system of government into something the framers of the Constitution tried desperately to avoid.

Again, thank you for taking the time to weigh in on this issue. I hope you will continue to contact me on issues of importance to you.


Sincerely,

John Lewis
Member of Congress