we were in a hightened state of awarness during the 2nd world war, the korean conflict and the vietnam war. i don't remember all this invasion of privacy by the fbi and this fanatic religious zealot, who couldn't beat a dead man in an election, we have as an attorney general. if i announce in the paper i am going to invade you when the weather is nice, of in a month or so, doesn't that give you an advantage of preparing. if we are going after saddam because his daddy didn't finish the job or because he is a threat is not the point. read "the art of war" by sun tzu or at least some excerpts.

Hey Rick! I gotta point out a couple of things. J.Edgar ran the FBI in a pretty clandestine way. His own little fiefdom. Weren't those dossiers he compiled in some way an invasion of privacy? And what about J. McCarthy and his boys? I don't think they considered privacy of individuals to be an issue when faced with "the red menace". There are just some new aspects to the issue that need to be considered. We need to watch the Attorney General yeah. But the guys who can really sell the farm are in congress! Watch out for those midnight votes!

We can't profile middle-aged Mid Eastern men. We can't increase the military effort in areas of the world where an economic advantage could be perceived. We must allow foreigners to "practice" their religion and customs whereever and whenever they want. And we can not use existing technology to investigate suspected terrorists. Because Ricky feels threatened. And if you allow the FBI to actually Investigate then they'll surely want to know what Joe Public is doing on their days off. No paranoia there. No siree bub.

xrundog--------you are correct. the closet gay and the drunk ran roughshod over the constitution. but, and a big but, is they were doing things illegally, ashcroft is officially sanctioned. the midnight votes on both sides of the isle, is legal scamming. how about the bill that said unless we vote against a pay raise we will get one. "i did not vote for a pay raise" is the hue and cry. the farm is pretty much gone. i hope we can get it back. term limits (never happen, as the founding fathers had envisioned, will be a start. public funding of elections (never happen) would be the next step. it also wouldn't hurt to have an informed electorate,

tailgater---no sir, bub. oh by the way the electorate are the voters. the same people that think drew carey, and frazier are funny and that ali mcbeal was an excellent show with great writing and wonderful interactions.

It's an imperfect country we live in, but one that is by far the nearest thing to perfection that the world has ever seen ... as for the leadership the country has in place, I thank Heaven that we've got the people we've got, doing the job they're doing ... anyone who actually thinks that Bill Clinton, Madelaine Albright, and Janet Reno could or would have done one tenth of the good that GW, Colin Powell and John Ashcrofte are doing is either uninformed, incapable of learning, or just plain nuts ... if Clinton or his wanna-be successor Al Gore were in office, we'd have issued some more "stern warnings", "protested vigorously" in the UN or fired a few missiles into some empty tents in the Afghan outback or some other horse-s**t thing. As it is, we're lucky enough to have the right people on the job with enough gumption to get the job done ... the flag flying on my home, on my car and on my lapel are my statement that I totally support those people and the actions they're taking.

Steve, you are 100% right on target with your post! It cannot be articulated any better than your reply! Thank God we have the Administration in office that we have at this time! Charlie

I think anyone in government deserves some regular scrutiny. I enjoy this forum because it sometimes makes me think along paths I might not otherwise mentally traverse. I am still waiting for the man of pure motives to come along. A man (or woman) who thinks only of the good of the country. Jimmy Carter may have been that type of man. I know, he couldn't work with congress. Bipartisan politics stymied him. But he's a good man. Can't think of anyone else I admire in recent history. It's sad. I would really like to trust a President fully, to believe he cares about me and mine. GWB isn't that guy. I think he is a federalist of the old school at heart. Though a decent guy, he is not a President for the comman man. I'm hoping we have some better choices in 2004.

How about the man for all seasons in 2004 - "Hubcap" LOL JonR

Tailgater for President 2004!!!!!!

Slimboli for classroom monitor...

I'll bet Hubcap would be an interesting debater! Honk! Honk!

Maybe a Master Bater! Charlie :):):):)

xrundog -------how about truman?

I think Truman turned out to be a really fine President considering the low expections of him at the time. He definately did some politicking back in Mo. Guess he built some great roads back there. Once he was in the Senate he played it straight. He was partisan, but tried to pick right when given tough choices. Rode roughshod over defense contractors in WWII. I have been to the Truman Library in Liberty,Mo. Really illuminating! The man had true character. Oh! The atomic bomb? Yeah, I think he made the right choice. If science could reanimate his corpse, I would vote for him!

Truman and the Pendergast family built some fine roads and creekbeds in and around Kansas City. Some of the creek beds have cement that is 8 feet thick and more! Truman dumped all over Boss Pendergast once he got to power and they never spoke a civil word to each other after that time! Charlie