As 9/11 rather convincingly exhibited, we are not the bad guys. The greatest threat to our freedoms does not, contrary to the belief of the previous 4 decades, come from within. It's enemies coming from abroad we need to beware. If you count jumping from a hundred floors in the air as a threat to your freedom. And uh, a second "9/11" would kind of prove that a little more. That whole "we met the enemy and it is us" thing has turned out to nothing but a straw man. A "Big Brother" boogeyman. "1984" was great in its time; its time has past (except as to how there are those among us who would remake the history of 9/11 so that it wasn't about America under attack). You know, as the guy sang, "the times they are changing?" Well, they changed. This time, its not get with the times or get left behind, its get with the times or die.

Let's not worry about "who will rule after the next 9/11?" - a rather strong indication that we didn't quite appreciate the first 9/11; after all, if you're the one staring out into the abyss 104 stories in the air, "who rules next" is not about to be the first thing on your mind. So, um, let's try to get over ourselves and concentrate on reality here, "who will rule after the next 9/11?" Idiotic. Let's work on preventing the next 9/11.

Whew! For a minute there I thought civil liberties, privacy, and the rule of law had been eroded over the last few years. Thanks for setting us straight!

What "next 9/11" are you talking about. Read the directive. The Pres. can invoke these "annexes of continuity" after even a localized weather event. Not to mention we have no idea what is written in the "classified" annexes. Are you comfortable giving ANY politician this kind of power?

Here's something I just can't understand. Why would "al-Quada" waste it's resources attacking our troops in Iraq? Would it not make more sense for them to be continually trying to hit us here where it might have the effect on the American population that they seek? Especially while our focus is on Iraq. What good is fighting in Iraq doing for them? The Iraqi's are certainly NOT going to allow al-Quada to take over their country should the U.S. pull out. It doesn't make sense. And how is it possible that our government KNEW BEYOND ANY DOUBT that the attacks of 9/11 were planned and carried out by al-Quada seemingly minutes after they occured? The administration claims they were unaware of al-Quada prior to the attacks. If that is true then how did they pin-point the responsible group before any investigation was done? Just curious.