I definitely agree with Norton1 about the James Webb article. It gives a good overview of what's really at stake. And the Nat Hentoff article is enough to really give one the creeps. There is the old saying that "those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

The following demonstrates my level of trust in governments in general, and has nothing at all to do with partisan politics. In this, I share the same misgivings the Founding Fathers had when they wrote the Constitution.

How to Build a Monster

Pre-WWII Germany was a democracy. The way Adolph Hitler managed it—building a nearly invincible military machine and gaining absolute control at home—was by mounting a campaign to frighten the German people with threats of imminent danger posed by both external and internal enemies (like communists and Jews), blaming all of the nation's problems on "them," and at the same time, invoking fanatical patriotism. Then he raised the fear level and gained verisimilitude by getting some of his goons to stage a few bits of domestic sabotage and blamed it on communists. Duly frightened, the people then gave Hitler free rein to do whatever he deemed necessary to keep the nation secure. At which point, as some of you may recall, things got a little unpleasant for a whole lot of people.

Now, I'm not suggesting that GWB is any kind of Hitler. Nor am I suggesting that 9/11 was some devious domestic plot. But when I hear the policies that Bush and his minions want to institute, it tends to make me a bit apprehensive. I really don't like the direction the current administration is trying to take this country.

Don Firth