There is a balance between security and privacy. As I have pointed out many times, where the line ought to be drawn is not an easy question.

The CIA, FBI, and other law enforcement agencies have been endlessly dragged over the coals about Sept. 11 for not "connecting the dots," for not getting all the information they should have had, and for not integrating information from many source into one massive central database.

Ironically, many of the same voices lambasting the authorities for their lack of omniscience are simultaneously lambasting them for trying to get as much information as possible. They can't have it both ways. A nation perfectly secure from outside and domestic threats will very likely be a Big Brother nation. A nation that protects individual privacy and freedoms of movement and action, and does not discriminate against foreigners, will suffer attacks and crimes now and then.

Prior to September 11, had the FBI raided flight schools and started investigating those of Middle Eastern descent, what do YOU think the reaction from civil libertarians would have been?

My own take on it is similar to my take on economics. Freedom, individual rights, and protection from massive government interference in the field of economics results in prosperity and economic growth, but also results in bankruptcies, business failures, and to some extent a "caveat emptor" environment that is hard on those who rely on others to do their thinking for them. A free market society is more "dangerous" than a controlled economy, but in balance is much better for prosperity than a controlled economy.

In the same way, freedom, individual rights, freedom of movement, privacy protection, and protection of other liberties will give us an environment more vulnerable to attack than the totalitarian alternative. But this price in my opinion is worth it in the long run.

There are many things that could have been done, or can still be done, to protect us that would not have violated the individual rights of American citizens. Arming pilots is the most obvious example. Tightening up the immigration barriers against non-citizens would be another.

And responsible watchfulness on the part of the citizenry is very important. If the authorities can't manage to filter out the wheat from the chaff, that doesn't make the concept invalid.