Over many decades, civil rights fighters were hosed, beaten, jailed and assassinated for standing up for freedom and dignity.

Since 9/11, millions of U.S. citizens were illegally wiretapped and spied upon by communication corporations that have now received congressional "retroactive immunity" to prosecution for their lawbreaking. Workers simply wanting a union are routinely fired with little recourse.

Our country has the highest rate of prison population in the world.

The illegal use of U.S. torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and CIA prisons is now fully acknowledged.

Guantanamo prisoners have been held indefinitely without evidence or charges.

I condemn the Iranian government's repression of protesters. But the U.S. government condemning it - what hypocrisy!

Mark Dimondstein, U.S. Citizen

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Dears,
Mr. Dimondstein obviously has been paying attention to the way our government claims to be the greatest in all the world and yet... Grandma would also like to add something about her experience with government harassment: Years ago the FBI invaded the women's movement and made us all wonder why the country would be threatened by women wanting equal rights. We thought that the government should go ahead and pass the equal rights amendment and then, if some women still wanted to be treated as less than equal - they could always get their families to take care of that very strange desire.

Sorry I haven't been with you lately. I've been so busy. I'm moving. Yes, my dears, ghosts move, not as much as angels do, but, yes, we ghosts move and we have possessions to move as well. It's just bother, bother, bother, especially if you happen to be a "pack rat ghost" such as I.

I hate to disillusion you, dear ones, but heaven is not without its peculiar annoyances. You thought it would be all "hearts and flowers" and beautiful music, didn't you? Well there is no just sitting around up here. It is more work, work, work than you can imagine. So stay put where you are just as long as you possibly can - that's my advice.

See you later. I still have 1,500 more boxes to pack!
Love,
Your Grandma Minutia

PS Maybe I'll get my second wind. My first wind is going fast!