This month's issue of National Geographic featured an article covering how curiosity is doing and what it's up to as well as some of the photos it took of the red planet. I swear some of those photos look like they could've been taken outside Barstow or Glamus!

It's weird really, Mars is an alien world and I think for most of us, certainly myself at least, we kinda expect it to have some kind of strange, alien landscape. So when you see mars with a blue, dusty blue really, sky and earthly terrain its just, surreal... I mean, the dried up stream bed Curiosity photographed looks identical to any dry riverbed you might find in the Californian desert, but to see it on mars makes is just so damn cool! Go check it out already!

I Don't usually discuss politics, mostly because I like to keep some civility, but this is starting to eat at me and I just need to vent.

Seriously! ever since that damned NSA leak, all I've been hearing is just one conspiracy theory after another each more idiotic or over-emotional than the last! I'll admit it's controversial and I'm fairly certain there were other options that should have been looked into, and yes, the guy should probably step down to save face.

With that said, no I don't think there's a conspiracy namely because from what I can tell they (being the NSA) asked permission from a judge to get this approved and only for 3 years (or was it 3 months? whatever point is it's finite) a judge, that guy whose sole job is to interpret the constitution and the laws and decide what is best for the greater good (at least in theroy) in a country that is far more anal about corruption in office than most other democratic states. the scope being limited to time, duration, and with who. Just saying the guy might have gone too far but I sincerely doubt he had malicious intent.

Yes its bad, no I don't support it, but I also don't believe that this the beginning of some governmental takeover to subjugate us. I'd hate to say "you'll know it when you see it" in regards to some despotic overthrow of government and the restriction of personal freedoms as that seriously comes off way too vague and cryptic, but that is kinda true. Generally there won't be a shadow government scenario (the ego on these kinds of people couldn't handle that, never mind that there are no CONFIRMED examples of a 'shadow government' in any other country in history without it being the worst kept secret in history like in China). With that said in past examples the transition was never subtle nor gradual. it was quick, aggressive, and resistance was often met with violence and not always the "dissenter just disappeared one day" especially not at first, THAT comes later. Early on these will be made public so as to send a message to future protests.

Also, most conspiracy theorists like to think to wall street and the wealthy elite are either behind or will be behind this governmental overthrow. No, usually its not the guy who controls the money who has the power to overthrow a government, it's the guy who controls the guns. Yes, historically, more governments have been overthrown by either a disenfranchised military, or by someone with the support of that nation's military. Why? because when you shove a gun in someone's face they tend to get really complacent really fast or really dead really fast. And no you can't buy off a disenfranchised military, because they can just shoot you and take all your money off your corpse. That's why it's so rarely subtle when there's a government overthrow, they don't need to be subtle about it because they know that no one else in the country can really challenge their claim to power.

However, this is all mute because the factors needed for this to happen is a completely corrupt and/or ineffectual governing body which we don't really have (no really, have you seen the corruption in other countries? we got it NICE!). A disenfranchised military which we REALLY don't have, we have a completely volunteer army consisting of some of the most patriotic people in the damn country so no fear there. Sometimes a populace so disillusioned with the current government that they'd welcome anything else helps but is not needed (we're not quite there yet anyway).

So with That all said, what the NSA did was overreaching and I don't support it, but I believe that they believed that it was for the greater good. Also If i hear about "black vans and helicopters" one more time I swear I'll punch someone. God I'm glad I got that off my chest.

apparently there have been people showing up at my campus proclaiming that the world will end on may 21st exactly. Where they came up with this date i honestly have no idea, they are always gone by the time i get to campus, so i never get to ask one of them. However, from what I've heard from other people who've run into them they seem to believe that may 21st 2011 is the day because that day is the 7,000th anniversary of Noah's flood. As I type this i can't hep but laugh at the silliness of it. personally i think the real reason is because they got impatient waiting for December 2012 and decided to push it up to Saturday so it would fit into their schedule better. this is crazy at it's most amusing. kinda like watching America's funniest home videos, but without the host.

with it finally being December i once again find myself in the Christmas spirit and as such would like to wish everyone who watches this site a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Has anyone else here that has a deviant art account been having trouble connecting to the site today? Because i sure am and don't know which end is having the problem...

Well to any out there who has found me here, Hello, I hope my work is welcomed here and enjoyed, and if you want to see more of my work check out my deviant art site here http://1tyler.deviantart.com/


Future journals will not be as lame as this one by the way.