Invasion of Privacy . . .

Politics and religion. Most folks know better than to stray onto those two topics - though with my family, we have an extra explosive mix of 'Politics In a Can' - add in a dusting of insanity and conspiracy theory from my father's side, a pinch of VERY conservative Republicanism from my mother's side, and you'll understand why I considered not voting a form of self defense for many years.

I don't understand why people get so riled up about these two topics. But they do. In a frightening rabid dog kind of way. And we're fortunate enough to live in a country where people can rim their lips with Cool Whip (TM) (:P :P :P) and demonstrate in the streets. In many another country, all supporters of the losing side, and most especially the candidate, get shot!!! People don't appreciate that the freedom to whine is a FREEDOM. (Though Spandex are still a privilege, and not a right.)

In addition to being leery of politics and religion, I'm aware of the increasing globalization of the world, and the way the Internet has made the World a very close space. So close, in fact, that it is a common practice for employers to "Google" employees ("Google" not "goggle" - which is entirely inappropriate and punishable by a slew of arbitrary lawsuits from folks who just can't pull the stick out of their bum and get on with Life). In case you are wondering, Andrea Peach is not my real name. While I do admit to having multiple reasons for an alias (including several old high school "buddies" a/k/a stalkers), my main reason for blogging under a false name is simply a small sense of privacy . . . in that I'm not sure I want a prospective employer reading my on-line journal before a job interview.

Of course, you can argue that I'm blogging to the Internet . . . so really, where is the privacy? I constantly crack up when friends ask if they can share a particular entry with someone else. My standard answer goes something like: "No. I'm sharing it with every mook within a planetary radius who has some form of Internet access - except your friend. I have specifically coded my site to deny access to them on an individual basis." Of course it can be shared! Maybe I'm blogging because I've been bitten by the same bug as a professional singer who hangs out at a karaoke parlor. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . one person with an appreciation for my writing will happen to pull my blog out of the vast sea of inane babble on the Internet . . .

While I'm dreaming, anyone want a pony?

So given the above, imagine my surprise when I log onto my Comcast account, only to see an email with the subject line: "Reply to Your YouTube Comment on Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." First off, I've never clicked on any of Toby Keith's music videos on YouTube . . . which, following the straight and logical line of deduction, means I never posted a comment.

Uh oh.

Apparently my husband did. It appears he commandeered my YouTube account and posted a comment, to which the reply is the ever-bland and innocuous:

"Because this is my country. The liberals, the jews are the ones who destroyed it. half of this country is not the country my grandfather fought the japs for. i promise you PROMISE you if you went back in time and showed all those marines who hit Normandy and Guadacanal what America would look like today they would have switched sides in a heartbeat. in a heartbeat."

I'm not touching that one with a fourteen foot pole. In fact, I'm mortified. And I'm even more moritifed that my name is tied to whatever comment prompted the response. Gee golly whiz, Beaver, I'm so glad I worked so hard to keep a PG-rating on all my on-line personalities.

Se la vi. How many people actually look at YouTube anyway? If anyone comes after me to break my kneecaps over my apparent bi-polar political beliefs, I'm sure they'll swallow my story that it was identity theft. Not me officer . . . I don't know why my Uncle keeps a fully functioning chem lab in a broken down van . . . and no, sir, I don't know where he purchased arsenic. The bomb squad's already been out three times this year, so I'm sure if there was anything to be worried about, they would have sniffed it out already. Really. :P :P :P