Sometimes I wonder how anyone who has ever taken a history course can have any faith in their government.

"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."
-George Santayana

"Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither"
-Ben Franklin

I thought at this point all of this was assumed or common knowledge. The only thing keeping this from being official is "executive privilege" being asserted in every lawsuit related to national security letters or the telecoms' implicity in the matter.

I like your tags... although some of them have nothing to do with the actual story.

It seems to me from actually reading the story, is that there were some over zealous FBI agents who went beyond the call of duty, and violated people's privacy. I arrive at this conclusion from the testimony reported, and the quote from Pat Leahy (D-VT):

But I guess that story isn't as juicy as: "THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING IN YOUR WINDOW" fear mongering that is so popular these days.

But it's a legitimate fear. And what the FBI has done here is what some believe is necessary for "our protection". Her tags are very relevant.

Do you realize how quickly the abuse of power can turn into fascism? The "you're either with us or you're against us" mentality the Bush administration holds is not only annoying but dangerous.

If you don't believe me, look at what happened in Germany and Italy. In the months before Hitler and Mussolini took power, you'll notice a gradual erosion of civil liberties and a greater focus on an "enemy."

First I love this quote:

"Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither"
-Ben Franklin

Thanks for posting it tdiggity.


Second....Terrorism is an idea, it is something that changes and grows, it cannot be fought with war and weapons. It must be fought by way of gesture, action, discussion. Fighting an idea by waging war on it does nothing to stop the idea, it only breeds more terrorism.

In the end, the most committed is normally who wins.

Taking away the basic freedoms this country was founded on does nothing to stop a terrorist, it only hurts the people of this country. It's like banning certain guns from purchase by legal means and by law abiding citizens. What does this do to stop those who want them for use in criminal activities? Nothing at all, it may cost them a few more hundred dollars to buy that weapon, but it does not stop the sale of them at all, just as removing our civil liberties does not stop a terrorist.

Our current government here in the states cares only about themselves, money and power. The citizens are just an afterthought.

Fear mongering is how they run this country, with their stupid terror alert system and vague threats of terrorist activities that may or may not happen. The lack of the proper chain of command shows that the rights and privacy of the citizens was not a priority.