My Best Christmas

It's hard to say what my best Christmas memory is. I had to give this alot of thought and came up with the Christmas when I was 12 years old. In my family we are allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve every year and then get to open the rest of them on Christmas morning. On this particular year I picked a present that turned out to be a motorcycle helmet. Being only twelve my parents told me it was for when I rode my bike around our property to make sure I didn't crack my head open. As I went to bed that night I was thinking this was the worst Christmas present I'd every gotten. What kid wants to ride his bike around wearing a big blue motorcycle helmet. As you've already guessed when I came down stairs the next morning and saw my brand new Honda 80 sitting next to the tree I freaked out. I had no idea my parents were going to buy me a motorcycle. I loved that bike, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of riding it around our property. I think this is my favorite Christmas memory because I was so surprised by the gift as well as it being my favorite Christmas present of all time.

Now this really bugs me.

The CIA is under investigation for the use of certain torture techniques used on detainees from the Middle East. The idea of torture to obtain information from individuals is a nasty bit of business but not the issue that has me up in arms. What has me so upset is the fact that our government agencies now see themselves as above the law. The CIA comes out and says that it is going to investigate individuals involved in the torture as well as individuals who gave the orders. Then the CIA goes and tells several judges that are involved in the investigation to stop because the CIA is going to handle the entire investigation itself internally. Does this make any sense to any of you? When an individual or group (company) is under investigation in the US are they allowed to tell the courts that they will investigate themselves and then tell the courts what they've found. This is absolutely ridiculous, it's just another example of our government as seeing themselves as above the law and not having to answer to anybody. I find the state of our government and acting agencies appalling. They preach that America is the greatest country in the world where everybody has a say but when they are in trouble the only people who have a say are themselves. Our government is starting to resemble a totalitarian state in which the leaders in this country don't have to answer to anybody.