I haven't listened to the broadcast, and don't have the bandwidth (are you SURE there's no transcriptP so I'm operating a bit in the dark here, but I think I get where they might be coming from.

--As far as Padilla is concerned, how many people with American citizenship are being held like he is? About two? I don't see this as the fall of American civilization. Call me when they've detained four guys. Or ten. Tens of thousands of American citizens who are virulently opposed to the war, as well as pretty much everything that has ever been done or will be done by the Bush Adminstration, are being left completely alone, which is the main point I was making.

--As far as deporting is concerned, I assume they are talking non-citizens, either guests, illegals, legal workers, or others.

I'm sorry. Such people DON'T get all the rights citizens do. That is the difference between being a citizen and not being one, otherwise what's the point of the term? The U.S. has the right to make them fill out forms, fingerprint them, and keep an eye on their whereabouts within reason. And yes, if they break the rules, we can kick them out on their asses, something which is not done nearly as often as it should be IMO. No country on the planet is as easygoing with who they let over the borders as ours is, and we need to tighten it up badly so that the right people can get in and the wrong ones are kept out.

--And the fact that Ashcroft has to plead with a court to do a wiretap, and can be turned down, probably says a lot that's encouraging about how America is run compared to many other countries.

If I'm really off the beam on any of this, based on what the show actually said, let me know and I'll shut up until I get more data.

As far as all the violations that have never been seen or even indicated, or prisoners that may be held that no one knows about at all, I really have no idea how to logically argue with that.