The NSA issue makes one wonder. How do you feel about the admission by the Pentagon that domestic spying has been going on for some time in America? Do you feel protected or do you feel violated? Is there, and can there, ever be a balance between protection and privacy? Is the president taking advantage of our civil liberties or is he just more remembering of how tragic the events were when the terrorists took advantage of American trusts and freedoms? Have we forgotten how painful the tragedy is when we are not prepared?
Congratulations to President Bush , a milestone has been reached, he has promised elections in Iraq and he has delivered. The question now becomes, “What next?”
We hear how the elections show that democracy is on the march in Iraq but remember, the government there wants to install a constitution based on Islamic Law, how will freedom of religion, woman’s rights, and freedom of speech grow if it is constricted by religious edicts and fatwa’s?
As a symbol of progress I will agree the elections are a success. However, as far as tangible progress, Iraq is still the same today as it was yesterday, and the week before. Until President Bush gives us hard guidelines as to what to expect before this policy is ended, we are all just left wondering, “When will this be over?”
Raymond B
www.voteswagon.com

Raymond, thank you for the thoughtful comments. I agree, it is a tough choice for many in deciding how to strike that balance.

But, my take is this. We, the taxpayers pay our elected officials quite handsomely to come up with those tough answers which meet our needs. Our current government is not meeting our needs. Security of my home begins with a fence, two dogs, a camera and alarm system and signs signifying the property is monitored (we live on acreage in a rural area).

These are precisely the first steps our government should have taken after 9/11, build the fence which is just now being discussed 5 years later in the halls of Congress, monitor it with alarms and surveillance, and post warnings to those who would attempt to circumvent the security system.

Instead, what we got, was politicians pandering to the fears of the wealthy trying to hold down their illegal labor costs in exchange for promises of campaign donations and support at reelection time. Hence, 4 years after 9/11, we are little safer from terrorists than we were on 9/10/2001.

Now these politicians are spying on Americans, creating dossiers on pacifist Quaker groups and other groups of Americans voicing dissent toward the Iraq war, because it is cheaper and easier to do and less offensive to the employers of below minimum wage labor. This is not responsible government nor does it strike the proper balance between security and freedom.

Arlington Cemetary is full of many 10's of thousands of Americans who laid down their lives to insure freedoms never took a back seat to security. They chose liberty rather than security and safety, and we dishonor them greatly to trade freedoms for political reelection and expedience.

Right on.
Excellent observations. I have been pushing the anti incumbent idea to anyone who would listen for years. I thought of it on my own one day and just decided to reach out to other like minded americans (I'm sure there are millions). The founders of this nation gave us the tools to defend our democracy (or republic whatever), its called voting. Very simple. I don't fear the goverments overreaching power as much as I fear the public's willingness to live with it. Much has been made of the NSA spying and I hope (against all odds) that something will be done to curb this unchecked power. However I really don't think the story should be abuse of power, it should be the aquisition of power. I believe this was achived when the congress and the last two presidents sold off the media to corporate america. Take back the media, take back america.

John, thanks for the comments. The media is in transition. But, I find by reading a number of different sources, that little of importance is not covered adequately.

Your point is right though, that the people's willingness to live with less than should be demanded is a real problem. It is my hope that as our population moves more and more to the internet both for accessing their news from a number of sources, as well as the editorials about the news from those they respect, the electorate will become more sophisticated in their appraisal of government officials and more discriminating with their vote instead of voting party or incumbents out of name recognition.

The media is in transition? I don't want to be off topic but I'm afraid the accessing of "news" from the Internet is also being polluted. And of course, I agree, some semblelense of the truth can be found on the Internet. But only if your lucky enough to be educated, and have access. I believe statistics indicate barely 60% of americans have Internet (less than 32% are broadband) and half of them use it for "other activities". Companies like AOL,GE, Newscorp, Comcast and such, have neutralized political thought on broadcast and cable TV. We can be sure they are marching on to the wireless Internet age. I share your optimism that the electorate will prevail, but I fear the media's sophistication (google is @ $435.00 +/- per share, up 130% for the year) has been centralized. Like I said; I agree with the incumbent movement, I agree with many opinions I have read on this site. However I believe the incumbent movement will succeed outside of cyberspace. It's like hurding cats and making sausage: i.e. it's not gonna be easy and it aint gonna smell good!
Right on.

John, the price of a free press, is having to sift through it for the truth. If only the truthful were allowed to issue news, it would not be free press, but, filtered through somebodies bias and predilictions.

There is nothing new here. The uneducated have a handicap which free press cannot solve. If they want the truth, they will have to get educated.

When ever government thinks it is above the law, there is no law. There is only perverion of the law, to legally plunder others. Thus, the law has been perverted to do the very thing it was designed to prevent.

Worse than wire tapping, is the power of the federal government to hold people indefinitely (for years), without charging them with any crime?

And, worse than that is the power of the government to execute innocent people. It happens. It has happened many times in the last 100 years.

And, then look at the presidential pardons for felons (some that even pled guilty).

And, then look at those in government that condone torture. If they didn't, why would they try to retain the option?

Personally, I don't give a damn about terrorists, but unfortunately, the government has a history of always abusing such powers.

Besides, if the government was truly concerned about national security, they would do many simple, effective things that don't violate the rights of its citizens, such as securing the borders that terrorists are crossing. Al Qaeda has been found already crossing our borders.

But, the government still won't secure the borders, because they want cheap labor for corporations. The government doesn't care how much harm it causes.

And it would not be that hard to secure the borders using resources we already have.
We have 2.6 million active military, guard, and reserves. If we only took 1% (26,000) and placed them at 1300 stations (spaced 5 miles apart) along 6500 miles, that would be one border guard every 1320 feet. Why have troops stationed within the interior United States only, when 1% of them could be stationed at the borders. It could be a rotation system. Why not use resources we already have? It's doable. Don't believe those that say it isn't. Isn't it worth it to stop terrorists from crossing our borders anytime they please?

So, the government is hypocritical to be demanding ways to break the law for security, when the government won't take some simple steps to secure the borders, or provide better identification systems.

We've got illegal aliens voting in our elections, for cryin' out loud.
And Bush calls the Minute Men vigilantes. How hypocritical is that?
13-Nov-2005, a Dallas policeman was shot and killed by an illegal alien. Hundreds of people nation wide are hit and killed by illegal aliens that don't have driver's licenses or insurance.
These are all crimes that should have never occured.

What good is government if it can't even do the one thing it was originally chared to do, which is provide national security.
What happened 11-Sep-2001 was really an obvious failure of the government to do the one simple thing they are supposed to do: provide national security. Despite numerous warnings, the government and airlines ignored the warnings to secure the doors on the pilots cabin. But they ignored it.

You would think $2 trillion a year paid by American tax payers could get better government, wouldn't you?
It should.
But it doesn't, because our government is irresponsible and unaccountable.
Our government is FOR SALE.
Incumbents only care about securing their cu$hy, coveted seats and making their big-money-donors happy.
And, look at all the things government meddles in. No wonder it can't do anything right. Still, it continues to grow to nightmare proportions, and continues to bankrupt the nation.

Where will it all end?
Who knows, but it's getting harder and harder to see how there will be a happy ending to this story, to this era of government that is fiscally and morally bankrupt.

John, the price of a free press, is having to sift through it for the truth. The words: price, free, press, and truth should nad could be mutually exclusive. Your take on the press is: that we don't own it. I dissagree. Anything said in the "press" should be challenged by fact. Republican, Democrats, we all forget the facts. The standard should be the simple truth?

Congratulations to President Bush , a milestone has been reached, he has promised elections in Iraq and he has delivered. Raymond who won the election? I believe it was the wahabi fundlementalists, bad planning, more madrasahs. Congratulations to KIng George W. But really who won the election? You tell me, lots of election hype and purple fingers, but not alot of election results? I quess it's O.K. that we have lost 56 soilders since the "election" and we still have no result. Don't blame the Troops, Blame the Bosses.