What's your terrorist score?

Those that live in fear of terrorists will see no problem with this. A little paranoid I think myself. Why not put the money that this would cost and really improve screening at the airports? I think physical screening would be much better than some kind of intellegence gathering, because we've seen how reliable intellegence has been in the past. But, let the loony leftist bashing begin.

Gosh dern, where to start with Automated Targeting System?

Here is a nice definition of 'doublethink' from Orwell;

The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. ... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies—all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.

The name George Orwell comes to mind. I m sure Orrin Hatch will see to it that my terrorist score is off the charts. He might even take pre-emptive measures and have me spirited off to a CIA prison in Belgium.

If we keep letting W. and his Neocon buddies tear up the Bill Of Rights and The Constitution then yes,the terrorists have "won."

Has anyone heard the dribble about free speech that FigNewt Gingrich is talking about lately??

He thinks that we would be "safer" with less free speech.

The Neonuts never fail to make me laugh,even in the middle of a snowstorm....Thanks Newt...

A freshman member of Congress is about to take the oath of office on the Koran -- the first Muslim to do so. Islam is a religion of peace, for that matter so is Christianity and Judaism.

Too bad the loud fanatical voices are drowning out the rest of us -- especially during this holiday season.

John E,

One thing I like about Newt; Every time he utters anything, the conservatives lose popularity.

The more he attacked the Clintons, the more their popularity went up.

Go Newt! Word up buddy!

You imply that Ted Kennedy not being able to fly around the country is a bad thing.

Other innocent men have been bundled up and sent off to secret CIA jails or confinement in facilities run by U.S. allies, after being mistaken for terrorists by U.S. counterterrorism officials.

PLEASE! most of these people are bad guys rounded up on the battlefield. Could this possibly be one ofthe reasons we have not been hit since 9/11?

As for Senator Kennedy, I thought he certainly would have been appointed the new Secretary of the Navy by now, what with all his experience on the water.

Other innocent men have been bundled up and sent off to secret CIA jails or confinement in facilities run by U.S. allies, after being mistaken for terrorists by U.S. counterterrorism officials.

PLEASE! most of these people are bad guys rounded up on the battlefield. Could this possibly be one ofthe reasons we have not been hit since 9/11?

As for Senator Kennedy, I thought he certainly would have been appointed the new Secretary of the Navy by now, what with all his experience on the water.

Ted Kennedy on the no-fly list. Hmmmm, he should have been on the no-drive list since 1969.

Since when did be scared equal being prepared???

Speaking of Orwell,

Here is the definition of Newspeak, which works in tandem with doublethink:

"Here is the official definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
new•speak ('nü-"spEk, 'nyü-), noun, Usage: often capitalized. : propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings. Etymology: Newspeak, a language "designed to diminish the range of thought," in the novel 1984 (1949) by George Orwell. Date: 1950"

Vito,

Nice fantasyland that you're living in there.

I'd join you,but that place is a little to dark for my taste.

I'll just assume that a registered Republican compared to a registered Independent or Democrat would not have equal scores based on that fact alone.

P.S. When can we look forward to the day w/o a Sen. Kennedy Chappaquidick joke and Bill Clinton/Monica jokes?

Ahh, the sweet smell of fascism is in the air. Maybe after the next terror attack - and there will be one - we can then lock up everybody over a certain cut-off score in detention camps.

"You imply that Ted Kennedy not being able to fly around the country is a bad thing."

Well, actually, it IS a bad thing. If Ted's not flying then he is probaly diving (er, I meant DRIVING), in which case it is unsafe for anybody in his car except, of course, himself!

If it crosses the line into denying U.S. citizens their civil rights, then I am against it.

Fight terrorism with known regular enforcement and laws already in place. This secret wire-tapping(from previous news) and tracking is against the spirit of those who wrote the Constitution, our Founding Fathers. It's a waste of money and effort to track every American anyways.

At the very least, the effects and uses of the program should be transparant to the people, so that the people, the true foundation of government, can adequately safeguard against abuse. In other words, for example, we should know if the system is being used to deny privileges, or used in criminal investigations as evidence; so that we can decide whether we approve of such matters.

Vito et. al.--anyone notice that the Oregon attorney that was "scooped off the battlefield" for his alleged role in the Madrid bombings, just received a $2 million settlement from the Feds for wrongful arrest. Nice to see Gonzales's boys are on top of things. Now if Bush had just killed that habeas corpus thing earlier, they could have made old Brandon "disappear".

40 year old jokes get old after a while. Get some new material. I'm sure there are other democrats you can make fun of. Stick with Clinton
at least that is not as old as your underware or those jokes.

I don't think the government or anyone else has te right to unilaterally declare you or me a 'terrorist'. This is 100% un-American to it's core and should be rejected by every Patriot in this great, free land of ours.

first name...Tom "the bug-whacker" Delay knows all about abusing Federal agencies for his own personal vendetta's. Remember when Thomas couldn't find those 'wascaly', wayward Texas democwats? He tried the F.A.A., he tried the US Attorney Generals Office, he tried the US Marshals, he even appealed to the Air and Marine Interdiction Coordination Center to help him find those wascals.

Here's a score to really be afraid of:

Vikings: 21
Bears: 3

Check out article on Slate about Bush's "Latest and Most Appalling Abuse Yet of Habeas Corpus", by Emily Bazelon. P.S.---Impressed by the posting speed today. I thought Frank and the gang would still be at the mercy of that killer Chi-Town blizzard. Good job boys!

A freshman member of Congress is about to take the oath of office on the Koran -- the first Muslim to do so. Islam is a religion of peace, for that matter so is Christianity and Judaism.

Too bad the loud fanatical voices are drowning out the rest of us -- especially during this holiday season.

You don't place your hand on anything when being sworn in. It is the pictures afterwards that you always see the representatives with a Bible or something with their left hand on it. Not the actual swearing in.

but mg,
like the HSD terrorist scoring system that some wonk will spend millions on, that vikes/bears score is complete fantasy.......

mg-- "Purple People Eater"? I love the passion of those Vike's fans. I was up in the Twin Cities recently to get my annual steak fix at Manny's and to celebrate my kids birthday. Man, they almost didn't serve us cause my boy had his Bear's hat on (proud father, proud father). I might come up there again next year to gloat about the Bears Super Bowl victory if my Terrorist Score doesn't get me whisked away as an "enemy combatant". Did you know that Ashcroft once said that a person deemed an enemy combatant can be legally shot on the spot. 'Hey John, there's these purple-clad terrorist flying into to O'Hare with designs of rape and pillage. Talk to your buddy Gonzo and take care of it, would ya'?

Hmmm, another half-baked plan doomed for failure. Just what we need is more big brother b.s. and bloated govt. spending by Bush.

For Vito, you mentioned lots of the detainees were rounded up "from the battlefield." Do you know this as a fact?

I've read story after story where an informant will turn in someone out of spite and revenge. God only knows how many innocent men are holed up in the secret jails with no due process.

Also, just because someone was fighting U.S. troops doesn't make them an instant terrorist. Did you ever stop and think that some of the people fighting our soldiers are regular Iraqis who want them off their turf and out of their country?

I'm sure that last paragraph will raise the dander of the wing-nuts. I'll be anti-American and anti-soldier because I used...gasp...empathy.

Vito here is some military advice for you. 24 Hours after these so called terrorist where in our hands the info they had was of no use. Now lets get real here it took 8 years for these guys to hit us again on 9/11. What has Bush done to protect the homeland the 9/11 Commission told you nothing. All they have done is try to scare the people of the US. Borders wide open Nuke and Chem plants not protected. Ports being run by enemy states. Yes Vito we are in a war. But that war is not in Iraq.

I'm sure that last paragraph will raise the dander of the wing-nuts. I'll be anti-American and anti-soldier because I used...gasp...empathy.

Posted by: Fed Up | Dec 1, 2006 1:38:43 PM

Welcome to the ranks of us Head chopping terrorist lovers!

I always request the aisle seat and vegetarian meals. I'm sure I'm considered a terrorist.

Ahh yes, their at it again doing their best to turn what was once the model of democracy around the world into something akin to China or the old USSR under Stalin. Whatever the case, after Jan. when the Dems take over congress they’ll be so busy undoing the damage to our constitution, they’ll hardly have the time to get those impeachment proceedings started. Maybe that’s the idea?

Well, lets look at the bright side of this.
Who spends a lot of time in middle eastern countries?

Dick Cheney has spent a lot of time there, working with the extremist Wahhabist Saudi Royal family in his former capacity as head of Halliburton. So his score should be pretty High. Although he doesn't fly commercial for the time being.

Don Rumsfeld is a civilian again. He spent a lot of time in Iraq during the 1980's. His score should be pretty high. Maybe he'll get probed the next time he flies.

All those Chevron executives spend a lot of time in Arabia, in Iraq, in Kuwait, and those other Gulf States. They should be populating this list.

I'm so scared of terrorists! Here's my rights! Just save me!

I'd rather die than give up my rights to the Government.

The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either.
Benjamin Franklin (or Thomas Jefferson depending upon your source)

I'm sure having friends around the world (literally) and the audacity to think that the framers of The Constitution knew better than G.W., et al about what civil liberties of U.S. citizens should be will make mine a stratospheric score

After having heard stories of 5 year olds being detained at the air port because their name is on the 'no fly' list... I cannot believe they're going to give us numbers!

I've had it! Under the Bush administration, I'm supposed to believe we're safer... but from who? From terrorists? I doubt it! From my fellow Americans? Not really. From my Government? Oh, that's what this is all about! Just another way for them to keep tabs on innocent Americans... it's about time we start objecting to these alleged safety precautions. It's time that American's took back their country.

If Newt and his buddies could have believed they had a contract with America, it's time America tell our 3 branches of government that we have some requirements of them... the first being our right to privacy! There's so much more to fit in before the next election, but we pay all their salaries... so they should just suck it up and work the overtime!

"-Impressed by the posting speed today. I thought Frank and the gang would still be at the mercy of that killer Chi-Town blizzard. Good job boys!

Posted by: unlettered | Dec 1, 2006 1:11:48 PM"

I smoked the boys real good last evening over a 4 hour post delay.
They are walking the line today, I guess. ha ha

* * *
Where are all the Swamp Rat-gals on the Sweet Homer blog? Let me tell you, Rat-resses, it's a real old boys club over there. Better hustle on over and throw in your two cents worth. (Oct 29)

Is it really going to help catch/identify terrorists? What do you need to keep track of potential terrorists--drivers license, credit card, SS #? If you were a real terrorist wouldn't you have fake identities or no identity at all?

So what's not FASCIST about this?

"Fascism (IPA: [ˈfæʃɪzm]) is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti-liberalism and anti-communism."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist)

When I was in my teens (60s) I was very disturbed by the ideas of George Orwell's book 1984. A lot of the things that disturbed me in the book have become reality. However, I would not trade that for the type of reality I see in today's world. Terrorism is REAL, and while the current methods used may not be perfect, they are better than an idealistic return to the "safety" of the 60s. I'd like to be back in the 60s, but that's not realistic. Wake up folks it's 2006 and terrorism is real!

How does this scoring system work? Do people of middle eastern ethnicities get higher scores than European caucasians? Do Muslims get higher scores than Christians? Do people that question these methods get scored higher than those that do not?

It is both sad and disturbing when we begin to classify Americans based on a scientific calculation of the possible destruction that they can inflict rather than the good that they can do.

Welcome to the world of George Orwell. Every time that we lose more of our privacy to a D.C. bureacracy, the more the terrorists have won. What criteria or formula is being applied? I guess that is a state secret as well. It must be, since there is not an appeal process or for that matter any due process.

It's like they say: If you can't blind 'em with brilliance, baffle "em with bs.

This is more scary: Bears losing in there first playoff game than a terrorist attack. More people die on the roads every year when they did not check there tire pressure. Please don't scare us and take away our freedoms.

Everytime I see that old argument about why the terrorists have not attacked us since 9-11, it is good for a laugh. The attackers did not come from Iraq. The intent of the Iraq War was to topple Saddam who had little if anything to do with 9-11. Most of Al-Queda is not in Iraq. Perhaps one of these bright conservative lads would favor us and tell us what the war in Iraq is doing to stop terrorist attacks on the US. You mean they cannot attack us from some other country or that they are all busy in Iraq?

Well I guess that 'thub' we all heard was Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson rolling over in their graves whent this was announced. Another small bit of the inalienable right to privacy fought for in the Revolution bites the dust.

Unbelievable arrogance on the part of the administration.

Terror has been with Civilization for ages in one form or another. Terror is hyped by those in authority for one purpose. Keep the folks scared and under the authority's control.

Sadly our cyber technology and widespread news availability gross manipulation of information for political purposes speed-of light fast.

Conceptually though, its not much different from the way royalty and various religions that kept their subjects in check for thousands of years. Remember the Dark Ages, the Inquisition and English domination of Ireland? And that was done without computers and the internet.

It's just sooooo much faster, sophistacated, and has better penetration now in the magic digital age!

I'm sure my bit of cynical opinion here has already been creoss-referenced with my email address in an NSA database in Virginia.

"He who would give up a little freedom for a little security will lose both, and deserve neither."

~Benjamin Fanklin

"To be governed is to be watched, inspected, directed, indoctrinated, numbered, estimated, regulated, commanded, controlled, law-driven, preached at, spied upon, censored, checked, valued, enrolled, by creatures who have neither the right, nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so."

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

It is time for "We the People" to reclaim The Constitution.

" they are better than an idealistic return to the "safety" of the 60s. I'd like to be back in the 60s, but that's not realistic. Wake up folks it's 2006 and terrorism is real!

Posted by: Lynn | Dec 1, 2006 4:35:17 PM"

Lynn,

It wasn't safe in the 60's. Not sure what you mean?

There was the threat of nuclear armageddon, and you could also end up on the wrong end of draft notice.

Safety, simplicity, warm and fuzzy, is something we impose on past eras. It's not real. Someday you will look back at 2006 with nostalgia and wish you could return to this time, I suppose.

Seems to me any of us that have ever posted anti-administration musings on this website should consider their scores significantly reduced.

Oh, I'm sure the Tribune will "fight" to keep our info private... at least, that is, until someone from Justice says, "boo." Then the Tribune will throw up its hands and say, "Well, we tried."

National security is a joke.

Just look at the picture of that long line in Denver that the Tribune unwittingly posted. That's a terrorist's DREAM. Why even bother boarding a plane? Detonating a device in a line (ANY LINE) like that is bound to scare off consumers, including YOURS TRULY.

Look, let's face it. We have to react wisely to terrorism. Attacking Iraq was the DUMBEST reaction possible. Sealing our borders is similarly lacking in sense.

The best way to defeat the terrorists is to work with the people who know them the best and who are willing to work with us. We've managed to capture several terrorists without dropping a bomb. How did we do it? Well, there's always someone willing to earn a few hundred thousand/million and American passports for themselves and their families.

That's how it's done and that's how it needs to get done.

The exception, of course, is Osama bin Laden. He's off limits because he has ties with the Bush family, which, in my estimation, ought to give the Bushes the lowest score possible.

I say stick to racial profiling. After all who did the attacks and bombings anyway ? Sure as hell wasent some middle class white guy from the burbs.

I believe the terrorist have already won!

Many innocent people get thrown in jail everyday in this country. Our system is not perfect. A lot Americans go back and forth to Pakistan 10 or 20 times per year.I think this guy may be on the high end of the score.How bout the guy going to Iran 10 or 20 times per year. Most of these people were born there. Now they are naturalized citizens. These are the guys that are going to sprinkle some radioactive dust in our water supply some day. I'll take my chances on the government monitoring these guys.

Although the founding fathers demonstrated incredible forsight in drafting the constitution of this country I have my doubts that any one of them had the ability to comprehend that a single person traveling domestically or internationally would have the ability for mass murder to the scale of 10's or 100's of thousands of dead. I'm not sure what the point of being free yet dead really is!?

"He who would give up a little freedom for a little security will lose both, and deserve neither." - Benjamin Franklin

I truly believe that Ben Franklin would rethink this statement in today's world.

I ask you CEO's, Superintendants, and all others responsible for the security of organizations. How would you defer such a threat? What if you knew there where traders within your companies or school systems, how then would you monitor your employees? If a teacher is rumored to be a pedafile how would you as a parent expect the principal to act? What's the difference between your wishes for that suspected pedafile teacher and the governments treatment of suspected terrorists?

Lots of leftists on this board and many instinctively anti-American voices (You too Frank?). Once you're able to drop the Che Guevara rhetoric, ask yourselves how much freedom and personal privacy ( BTW, no explicit right to privacy, per se, in the U.S. Constitution, but your "fascist" government agrees in principle that the right exists anyway) that you have compared to actual fascist governments around the globe.

The freedom and security you now enjoy and apparently underestimate (interesting how no attacks have occurred on U.S. soil since 9/11 isnt it?) is most certainly not the result of the ACLU, EPIC, Ted Kennedy, Russ Feingold, Dick Durban or Nancy Pelosi's dilligence, but rather that of the men and women in DHS, Justice, the intelligence agencies and, yes folks, the White House who are making the actual tough decisions you take for granted while you peck away at your keyboards and sneer at those dastardly "neocons".

Yes, sometimes those charged with ensuring the balance between privacy and security do go too far (both ways, in my opinion). However, this is assuredly not Orwell or anything else from your Marx and Engels treatises. Rather, this is a very basic struggle against jihadists (Please read up a bit more on that "innocent" Oregon attorney, folks) who would like to convert you to a certain religion, terminate your ability to move and think freely and treat women and remaining non-conformists like property.

What. Us worry? Name a cogent, well thought through, successful and effective program initiated by the current administration. Go ahead…we'll wait. No Child Left Behind…Katrina…Iraq…Social Security reform…a balanced budget…affordable Health Care…No really go ahead…we’ll just have a seat and wait.

The term “lame duck” has already been suggested for the current president. While it is terrifying to think that we may be leaderless for the next two years the lame duck label seems to be half true already.

I see your opinions are not very balanced.I'm sure my previous post will not be accepted because I see a one sided view here. I didn't realize this was a far left blog.

Interesting.. Americans have become paranoid about everything

I wonder what Bush's rating is... he seems to travel a lot and that would make him a person of interest too right? =)

Posted by: Bob Hindes | Dec 1, 2006 6:06:23 PM
Posted by: Bob Hindes | Dec 1, 2006 7:11:18 PM
I see your opinions are not very balanced.I'm sure my previous post will not be accepted because I see a one sided view here. I didn't realize this was a far left blog.

Another voice of truth and wisdom. If your looking for fair and balanced that would be faux news.

To bad we didn't have this system on September 10, 2001.

If it makes me feel more protected flying, so be it. I am not a terrorist, what should I be afraid of? Are you? Be afraid of what you do not know. Know more, be less afraid.

BTW, no explicit right to privacy, per se, in the U.S. Constitution, but your "fascist" government agrees in principle that the right exists anyway)

- alex garcia

wow. that is quite an ignorant statement. have you ever heard of the Bill of Rights? Check out the 4th amendment. I think that one has something to with privacy, per se.

unbelievable. This person would have you believe that our government is SO benevolent that, even though we're not guaranteed the right to privacy by law (in his twisted mind), they agree that that right exists "in principle."

You have essentially spat on the bodies of every human who has ever sacrificed a thing, their life included, to preserve the uniqueness that is (well, "was" is almost better at this point) America.

But, to paraphrase a patriot, while I disagree with what you said with every fiber of my consciousness, I would defend to the death your right to say it.

I'm alarmed by the people who think this is a good thing. That somehow this lame brain plan will protect us. Ha.

Sure there are the privacy issues, etc., but my biggest concern is that it's more smoke and mirrors. Score? You're joking, right? Is it like a video game?

It's sounds arbitrary and asinine and another huge waste of taxpayer money. Kinda like those color coded terror warnings that suddenly disappeared after the 04 elections.

How's this for an idea...pull troops out of Iraq and send them to Afghanistan. Actually catch or kill Bin Laden.

Yeah, I know...to practical. The politicians won't have a boogie man anymore.

If it makes me feel more protected flying, so be it. I am not a terrorist, what should I be afraid of? Are you? Be afraid of what you do not know. Know more, be less afraid.

Posted by: Ron S. | Dec 1, 2006 8:02:07 PM

I doubt Ron that they will ask you if you're a terrorist or not. Just track your every move, mode of payment,destinations,amount of luggage,carry-on,time of year vs correlation to any religious events,situations that might have happened at any cities you have visited,people you sat next to,reason for visit,what purchases were made,were you stayed,time-line of ticket purchase,who you are traveling with,etc,etc,etc,
etc,etc,....Why be afraid?

"Many innocent people get thrown in jail everyday in this country."
Bob Hindes

Bob,
A good reason to be opposed to the death penalty, don't you think?

"For Vito, you mentioned lots of the detainees were rounded up "from the battlefield." Do you know this as a fact?"

Fed up,

We have been try to inform the 'Vitos' of the world for some time that our own military at the time of Abu G. stated that, '90% of the detainees had done nothing, other than be in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

I do not fly. I will not take my shoes for the HSD at airports. Not after 22 years Active Duty service in the USAF.

Terrorism is a real and current threat? Of course it is.

But think about this.

"In 2001, terrorists killed 2,978 people in the United States, including the five killed by anthrax. In that same yar, according to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease killed 700,142 Americans and cancer 533,768; various accidents claimed 101,537 lives, suicide 30,622, and homicide, not including the [terror] attacks, another 17,330. As President Bush pointed out in January [2004], no one has been killed by terrorists on American soil since then. Neither, according to the FBI, was anyone killed here by terrorism in 2000. In 1999, the number was one. In 1998, it was three. In 1997, zero. Even using 2001 as a baseline, the actuarial tables would suggest that our concern about terror mortality ought to be on the order of our concern about fatal workplace injuries (5,431 deaths) or drowning (3,247). To recognize this is not to dishonor the loss to the families of those people killed by terrorists, but neither should their anguish eclipse that of the families of children who died in their infancy that year (27,801). Every death has its horrors." (Luke Mitchell from "Harpers Weekly" March 2004).

My thoughts are that the listing of potential terrorist threats is not a bad idea, and if it really makes our borders more secure I'm all for it; but we MUST MUST MUST stop allowing our government to operate as an authoritarian entity. WE are in control of the GOVERNMENT, NOT the other way around, and it's time they learned that. I'm absolutely opposed to people not being able to review or challenge potential-terrorist scores.

Alex Garcia,and you too Bob Hindes,

Way to play the "liberals are anti-American" card.

The next time you get randomly pulled from an airport boarding line,stripsearched,and handcuffed to the wall while they figure out why your name came up on a no-fly list.....Remember how W.,Cheney and the NeoNuts whom you voted for are keeping you safe from yourself bud.

The state of Illinois demands that all drivers give up their right to refuse a breathalyzer (sp?) test as a right to drive. Guess what, terrorism is a much greater threat than a driver at 0.0015. Grow up. Stop being naiive. If you don't like it, don't fly to a foreign country. Either give up your right to be safe or yield to what little profiling can pass the PC whiners.

So, dare I ask first of all of the Newest Lame
Duck President & Liar in Chief George W Bush so
Where Is Osama bin Laden?...And then dare I ask
how many of you are still naive or brainwashed as
to still believe Osama bin Laden is still living
in some cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan?...Or,
have you seen the light and realized what a joke
George W Bush & Little Mussolini Dick Cheney
Phony War on Terror really is by now?...And so,
may I ask one last question for now,and which is
how many of you really trust that incompetent
Bush Crony DHS Do Nothing Micheal Chertoff to
provide us with effective homeland security,with
our borders and port left wide open and a massive
invasion of illegal aliens,some of whom, may also
be terrorists and after DHS & FEMA's Hurricane
Katrina Disaster?..So that's my two cents worth
here and Im looking forward to reading yours!

When we find our rights eroded away for the protection of our "Freedom," the terrorists move a step toward winning.

Seeing how I am actively pro democrat and anti bush, as that my mother is from France and not a citizen, i'd think I could score pretty high.

i think something like this is already in place. the last time i travelled internationally, i found myself selected for 'special attention' upon returning home. while the customs guy was going through my luggage, i asked him why i seemed to be the only person from my flight that was being searched. he prompty referred to a computer monitor and rattled off information pertaining to an arrest that was on my record, as well as an order of protection. it didn't matter that i had been acquitted of the domestic battery charge, or that the order of protection had expired.

as a result, i now expect to always be searched upon returning to the US. usually, my international trips are to Canada, however, once the new regulations are in place in 2008, i guess i can then look forward to having my car searched.

The "terrists" have won: we are terrified. We are huddled like shivering, clucking chickens in our airline-terminal chicken coops. Save us, someone, save us! Here, take our names and give us numbers! Anything but "terrah", anything!

Just for the record. No way in hell I'm a Vikings fan or a Republican. Go Bears.

It is better to push for change rather than sitting around typing mad thoughts through a computer screen.

If you don't like it, act on it!!!

Get out there and tell your family, friends and neighbors what you think. Educate them on events they might not be aware of.

Personally I am not thrilled with the airlines profiling everyone as a terroris or their information gathering.
The x-ray machines they are now implementing will help them see what you are carrying but cannot tell your intentions.

I am refusing to fly until things change. I will take the train or drive to my destinations. My family agrees with me and is following suit along with my friends.

Spread the word.
Take action.
Actions speak louder than words.

Don't pay money to be man handled at airports and searched like a prisoner.

God bless America. It's time we take her back and stand up for what is right.

I am perplexed by a body of thinking that suggests that trying to make use of information that has been gathered legally for years is somehow an infringement of our rights but has no problem with the notion that the so-called right to privacy (or at least the “test” that is applied to the issue) is the construct of a single appointed official, in disagreement with the majority of the Supreme Court. (Just to be cautious, I am pointing out that Justice Harlan’s opinion differed with the reasoning, not the decision in Katz v. US – and just for the record, I agree with the Katz decision too just not the tortuous degree to which it has been stretched since then).

I also am intrigued by the frequent use of Franklin’s quote (this is the correct version, by the way) “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” by those who oppose more aggressive measures against terrorism. The quote (which Franklin said he did not write – but it is probably still a fair attribution, since he did edit and publish the original document, An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania) was meant to chastise those on the frontier who wanted to placate and appease native raiders rather than authorize military actions.

In that context, the quote should be seen as an argument against those who seem to use it the most. More to the point, I have a hard time seeing allowing the Federal government to use the same information airline marketing departments analyze daily as giving up an “essential liberty.”

George W Bush went on television after 9/11 and claimed that "America was attacked because the terrorists hate our freedom and our way of life".

Bush then proceeded to remove Americans freedoms and impinge on their way of life by introducing the Patriot Acts 1 & 2 which undermine both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and more recently repealed the writ of habeas corpus.

If what Bush claimed to be the reasons behind the attacks is true, then hasn't he just handed the terrorists the victory by destroying America's freedom and way of life?

"In other words, for example, we should know if the system is being used to deny privileges, or used in criminal investigations as evidence; so that we can decide whether we approve of such matters."Posted by: FirstNameLastName | Dec 1, 2006 12:21:48 PM

Quite true. It is being used to deny privileges, when presently the tap system for phone communications and internet free speech is effectively suggesting you should be denied freedom of movement to travel; is that anything like scotching freedom of assembly, a Constitutional right?

And that is being used in evidence that can make you disappear, as noted by the following poster:

"Now if Bush had just killed that habeas corpus thing earlier, " posted by unlettered

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Also
Posted by: Dale Peters | Dec 1, 2006 1:54:23 PM

Dear Dale Peters, I was wondering is it just coincidence that your name brings to mind the elderly Canadian-born investigator of 9/11, www.peterdalescott.net ?

Because you are right about which war since we are none too clear but have more than a few hints that who actually arranged the attack of 9/11 largely may be the same bunch who are hell bent on removing all Constitutional Laws (for your protection from their infringements upon your freedom) to their own advantage.

You seem to discern the right culprits. Interestingly enough, former CIA and FBI men are in the forefront of the movement to Impeach, and are conducting the investigation. Had a meeting two months ago on the campus that gave us the Free Speech movement, where they had a seminar at the Martin Luther King middle school which was recently shown on CSPAN2 while the middle school itself showed up again on Sundance channel's series Iconoclasts which featured the get-together of dancer Baryshnikov and restaurateur/educator Alice Waters.

The CSPAN2 program was titled, the same as the book co-authored by David Ray Griffin, 9/11 and the American Empire:Intellectuals Speak Out

Rory M | Dec 1, 2006 2:34:52 PM

Re.January? Pelosi has already come out as not caring to go as far as Impeachment. But, the good word on that subject is the content of the comment that I previously wrote for the information of Dale Peters about who is in the Impeachment Movement and what investigation has been done so far.