Facebook is Big Brother

I am a social media fanatic. I blog (2 different blogs), I tweet, I connect with my friends and family on facebook. But I've begun to notice that facebook is getting really scary, maybe a bit too familiar. The other day one of my friends posted that she was moving to Australia. To anyone familiar with children's literature this was an indication that she was having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day. But as I was looking at her post, I noticed that the ad column on the right was filled with ads on "relocate to Australia" and "find a home in Australia" and "Finding jobs in Australia" Big Brother was watching, and hoping my friend and I would reach out to their advertisers in Australia.

I also notice that when I am reading a post or comment by a particular friend, most of the "friend suggestions" facebook gives at that time are fiends of that person. I'm not sure why facebook assumes that I want to be friends with EVERYONE who knows someone I went to school with 25 years ago. I mean really, I am glad to be in touch with my friends from Wheaton, but I don't necessarily want to be friends with someone from their church in 2011.

But all these little indicators make me a bit cautious. We are being watched, plain and simple. Now I am not a conspiracy theory type of guy, but if someone knows we are talking about Australia, then someone can find out anything else we talk about. There have been divorce cases where the judge has ordered the couples to turn over their facebook passwords to opposing council. A case in England where facebook and Twitter feeds were used as evidence. I am pretty sure that in larger cities police forces have a dedicated Internet watcher searching for threats of criminal activity.

A friend of mine recently read a book about Hitler and how easy it was for him to round up the people he wanted to get rid of,and that was 70 years ago, long before the computers and technologies of today. Just think how easy now, if someone came to power who wanted to round up all that opposed him. Just a get a record of who "liked" what on facebook. The McCarthy trials would have been so much easier had there been a facebook then. Just see who "liked" the communist party, or who were friends with people who "liked" it.

All I'm trying to say I guess is a word of caution. be careful what you "like" or it may be used against you. please like this post and share with your friends. And a wink goes out to Big Brother "FACEBOOK" We "like" and "Hate" you all at once.

New Way to Decide the Winner

Okay, this is crazy, but I have come up with a new way to pick the winner of elections. It came to me today while briefly watching CNN. This will save all the problems of vote counting, election tampering, and all the other troubles we encounter in modern elections.

As I was watching CNN the little news blurb on the bottom of the screen read, "Romney Santorum Fight Heats Up". That's when it hit me, put the candidates in the ring and let them duke it out. I'm not sure if the should use the Queensburry rules, or go for an all out UFC style MMA fighting. But just let them go at it till someone is knocked out. Then the winner of the Republican fight can get in the ring and duke it out with Obama.

Ok, Who's with me on this? Sounds like a nice change. Hopefully less nasty commercials. Make it a pay-per-view event with proceeds going to pay off the national debt.

Hate breeds more Hate

If you are like there are three words that instantly start your blood boiling: Westboro Baptist Church. This is a group of so-called Christians who preach a message of hate. Their main tactic is to protest at the funerals of slain American soldiers.

Yesterday the Westboro church announced it would protest at the funeral of the Powell boys (brutally murdered by their own father) because, according to the church their death was God's punishment to the state of Washington for plans to legalize gay marriage. Now whether you support gay marriage or not, you can surely see the horrendous lack of logic in the church's actions. I admit I have a hard time not being angry with this church. Yes I have troubles not hating them. This church, who always seems to get themselves in the news, gives Christian groups a bad name. In a news media always searching for the bad, the crazy, the offensive news, this is the kind of Christian we see. We rarely get media coverage for the churches that have outreaches to the poor; or the churches that reach out to disaster victims side by side with the Red Cross. So I get angry that this group is making all Christians look bad.

But as the hate in me brews, I realize that Westboro's hate is just breeding a hate within me, and I do not want to stoop to their level. I think churches around he nation need to mobilize, and wherever the Westboro church plans one of their hate-filled demonstrations, the local church needs to counter with a demonstration of God's love. Wrap thee family in a circle of Prayer (literally surrounding them with God's love) and keeping the hateful ones on the outside of the circle. Hate only breeds hate, lets show Westboro that God's love is stronger than Hate!!

(After I began this blog I learned that Westboro has cancelled their protest on the Powell funeral in exchange for some radio time on a local Catholic program. Whatever keeps them away from the funeral...at least you can turn the radio off.