T. B. - "You're the one constantly griping about our civil liberties. Is this the price we want to pay?"

Bowser: Don't follow that. There is a big difference, in my mind, between being observed when in a public place and being imprisoned indefinitely without charges or representation on the whim of a President.

T. B. - "If Ashcroft proposed having two cops on every block, you'd crap yourself in indignation."

Bowser: Especially if they were the secret police force he wants now under the cover of "Homeland Security". Would scare the hell out of anyone. First, I don't trust Ashcroft any more than I trust any other True Believer. Second, "secret police" have no place if there is a legitimate government.

T. B. - "Make up your minds if you are worried about not enough surveillance or too much. You're going to get whiplash."

Bowser: I don't have any problem with being scanned when I'm in public as part of general surveillance. I don't have any problem with a cop sitting by the side of the freeway checking license plates as they go by. And by the same token, if it's in my "castle", I don't want anyone in there. Including Mr. Ashcroft.

If used to harass people, that's different. As much as some people tout accountability, this seems to me to be just a way to hold more people accountable for past actions.

I don't see any inconsistency here at all. And, I've spent much of my adult life watching people in public. I might be a bit sensitive on the idea that should be limited any more than it is, which it isn't.

Arf