Where do you get the idea that I'm flatfooted in this? I'm certain terrorist attacks are going to continue on throughout the world and there's little we can do about them other than really good intelligence and infiltration of terrorist organizations and creating an international good will that doesn't allow those CRIMINAL elements of society to spread their organization with the political gifts we give them. That intelligence does not necessarily require taking away the rights of citizens. Canada doesn't have a Patriot Act Tom. They didn't need NSA wiretapping to find these guys.

Here's what you fail to see Tom. Let's make an analogy here. Let's just assume that the terrorist roots are similar to common criminals in our society. Today, due to social norms in our society, if someone becomes a bank robber, they are generally shunned and are almost always caught and prosecuted for their crime. However, during the prohibition days, bank robbers such as Ma Barker and Bonnie and Clyde became folk heroes, often aided by the public in spite of their murderous ways. The difference was that there was a deep-seated resentment of government, authority, and big business brought on by the greed and power that created the depression and the huge disparity between the haves and have-nots.

Terrorist leaders use our perceived greed and power for the same ends and are having a recruiting windfall right now all over the world. Marginalized criminals that made up Al-Quaida are now cult heroes to much of the Arab world, not because people believe them to be good people, but simply because they're standing up to what they perceive as the Great Bully. We had this unique opportunity to marginalize these criminals after 9/11 and went way too far. Bush is playing right into their hands and sheep like you simply will never see it.

Terrorism is a crime Tom and only becomes a political tool if you react to it in a political way. You have so much to learn about human nature Grasshopper.

Art