Be careful what laws you're asking for.

good try

Actually, I knew the context of that was not good. You have the choice to decide if they were good or bad, then you also have the choice to be forgiven or not, it's all about choice. You have the choice to be atheist or not, obviously you feel you have nothing to be forgiven for so asking would be moot... but you still have the choice :)

As far as thought goes, absolutely you have the choice to decide what is or isn't right. When it comes to actions you answer to God and man. See what a good system it is, you are able to think what you want and still feel ok about it, even as an atheist.

I loved 1984, it was the last book I read in my teens. It seemed so apocalyptic and then to realize its arrived....

I really enjoyed it for how deep it made me think, and because (although it is pretty screwed up to say this) the torture was contrived in a really interesting way.

Its amazing to me how spot on some of Orwell's warnings were.

Yeah... Now we literally have the same exact problems. The NSA for example is literally Big Brother

thoughtspeech, hatecrimes, neverending wars, only the targets names change

Someone is going to have to do something about this. The only problem is that no one will. It's like the whole paradox with the proles

That is up to your generation, (i'm assuming you're not in your late 50s). My baby boomer generation has left scars on this country that will take decades to heal. Thankfully over the next 10 - 30 years our numbers will shrink.

Dude. Thats dark.

Nah, just the circle of life :) I was at the very end of the baby boom, and that generation has done so much to stomp on values and traditions and paint everything in shades of gray.

Then there are the people in younger generations that are complaining about the stupidest things ever.