Your feelings are understandable, Allstar, even if you are wrong. We were supposed to "defeat" terrorism, not give in to it. The fact that we are giving up our rights, systematically, over time, means they have won, by altering our attitudes toward our rights. The fact the government is taking away those rights in the name of fighting the war on terror is hateful, or for reasons we do not know, which is even more hateful. We are Americans, and while we feel as you do about what happened on 9/11, we cannot allow ourselves to blindly give up our rights in memory of it. We cannot allow ourselves to fall prey to fascism out of fear or hate.

To allow our rights to be taken away is to forget what many more have died to defend than died on 9/11. We often forget that.

if you don't pay off the balance of your JCpenny mastercard then the terrosist have already won

seriously this is silly. I mean the government should be watching suspected terrorists but perhaps they should focus their attention on people who don't own JCPenny Mastercards. I don't see Joe terroist shopping for an ab roller and some hot pants at his local JCPenny

man the government is stupid

Allstar, I cannot even imagine what you went through that day. I would hate to live with your memories, and completely understand how you feel. Believe me when I say, my feelings about the present subject in no way should belittle how you feel.

What makes us great is we can disagree with our government. We do have to fear that the government will come into our homes in the middle of the night without having seen a judge, first, and show they have cause to do so. Our homes are sacrosanct, and should be. But are they still? When our leadership believes it's not wrong to put people in jail for years without due process, because they are "fighting a war on terror" without declaring war, nor putting forth the resources to win it? What's the purpose? Where is the oversight? Where is the outrage from you, Allstar, who saw what you saw, and have witnessed a complete disregard for Al Queda, until it suits their purpose to trot out the fear?

What's happening is we are losing our basic freedoms. Shortly before the start of the Iraqi invasion, I was called a traitor because I disagreed with it. I can be arrested for protesting if I stray from a designated area, because of a "fear of terrorist attack." I can be prosecuted for doing simple banking, if it violates a law which I've never heard of. I've watched as my government has over and over violated the Constitution without any repercussions. I know men who have died in a war that was started by those who lied to Congress in a blatant fashion which in bygone days would have been cause for arrests and convictions, including impeachment at the highest offices. I've had to watch as basic freedoms have been eroded and heard those who say it's no big deal.

I fear for my country and my countrymen and women because for some reason they buy into the lies and distortions, for far less reason than you have. Yours are understandable and I have no doubt they are sincere. I hope someday you can put away the memories and you'll be back to your old self, whatever that self was.

Every person on this board is too smart to believe everything we've been told in the past six years. It's long past time to stop listening and believing what you know is not believable, and start asking questions, and start DEMANDING answers. Before there is nothing left to defend.

Even the stauchest Republican cannot help but worry. Only the stupidest, and I'm sorry to be so harsh, but anyone who doesn't question the motives of the current administration must have lost whatever mind they ever had.

And I am NOT Bush-bashing. I truly do believe that the President has not a clue as to what's going on around him. He's a patsy in the truest sense of the word, and I will not put all the responsibility on him, anymore. He's been had, as have we all.

Wow

We're going to have to agree to disagree, but I still haven't figured out why you think the monitoring of unusual financial activity is 'hateful'. Do you think that the government's master plan was to create a sham war in Iraq to decrease the citizens basic freedoms? The whole argument lacks any sort of common sense to me.

I would never bash anyone for disagreeing with the war. Maybe it was a hyperaggressive and misplaced act...an over-reaction to 9/11. I don't know. I haven't been briefed by the miltary or the CIA. Mayb e I am too trusting in my government.

I'd like to know how your daily life is impacted by these hateful changes, as you call them (please remember that I am still not being snide or disrespectful at all, and am stll admitting that I am far from impartial here). Now, I still work 2 blocks from the WTC site, and believe me, on the few occasions when I was asked to open my bag before boarding the subway, I complied - happily. Its very easy for someone who didn't live through 9/11 on a personal level to be cavalier about safety and freedoms and forign terrorism Cactus.

You were affected by the recent hurricanes in FLA if I remember correctly right? Wouldn't it be safe to say that you have a very different perception of hurricanes and natural disasters than me? Many many New yorkers that i commute with have similar feelings toward these issues Cac. When things slwo down in airports or train stations because of random searches, there is very little to no grumbling about 'personal freedoms'.

Its a tradeoff. And your comments are in no way typical of most Americans, IMO, and they are definitley NOT typical of New Yorkers. When the Miami Seaquarium becomes a designated terrorist target, you might change your mind though (OK that was a little fresh ), but again, as someone who spent 5 yrs working next door to the NYSE, they can check my motherphucking bag every day and twice on sunday and I wont complain. Theyre also free to know which library books I check out, and when I make an unusually large payment on my mythical JC PEnney credit card, I'll be happy to explain why. But thats just me.

Will someone pass the Vodka please?