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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (53165)	7/17/2002 6:38:02 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

This is a good one: If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. and The day that this country ceases to be free for irreligion, it will cease to be free for religion.

To: epicure who wrote (53165)	7/17/2002 7:48:54 PM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

It is mindboggling that we are that weak as a society. I really don't see it that way. When a crazed gunman holds several hostages, it can paralyze an entire police force for hours upon hours. When a whacko is sitting in his car after a police chase, the cops are always in the "weak" position because they can't act until he does, and sometimes by then it is too late and a cop is killed. But I don't see this as weakness, but rather as strength. We have morals and values and the bad guys don't. Who would want it any other way? Americans have accepted restrictions on their civil liberties, in good nature, in every period of war or other threats to our society. It is a small sacrifice to make, temporarily, for the safety and greater welfare of all.

To: epicure who wrote (53165)	7/17/2002 9:10:07 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

That a bit of an exaggeration. It might be reasonable to say that our civil liberties have been slightly restrained, and perhaps even unjustly so, but they have not been done away with. In many ways we are more free then we have been in the 700 years you mention or the 200+ years of our nations existence. The ways that we are less free, bigger government, more regulation, higher taxes, have little to do with 9/11. Our response to 9/11 might have made them a bit worse but the long term trend has been for them to get worse for a long time and the response to 9/11 is just a blip on that trend. Tim