To: thames_sider who wrote (8974 ) 1/13/2006 9:58:33 AM From: MrLucky Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 541403 As I've said before, politicians love power, the more the better. That's why nearly all of them go into politics, and it's certainly why the ones who reach the top are as they are. Such leaders like telling people what to do, and believe they know better than others what is right - else, they would by definition not be leaders. And any check or fetter on their power must be wrong, even for the saintliest-seeming of leaders, such as Gandhi or Mandela (I'm sure I recall the latter disputing parliamentary acts that would restrict presidential power). Yes, they do. In all places like the UK, the ME and in the "country" of the UN. The media likes power as well and will go to any length to disrupt truth, exaggerate facts and distort events in order to be "first". At least, that is the media in the USA. If information is power, then the more information, the better, right? And how can it be wrong for a leader to have unfettered access to and use of information, after all Big Brother knows best... I always thought it was the far RW who wanted Echelon/TIA/TIPS/Carnivore and all the other creepy Gestapo-style snooping on every aspect of private business and life. I can only presume that they expected to be themselves immune or excluded from such supervision... or in control of those exercising it. Of course you are aware that considerable snooping took place during the eight years of the clinton regime. No public uproar occurred because those media people in the know did not report it. BTW, did your country do any snooping during WWII? The US did plenty of it then and has ever since.