I start this thread with reluctance, because there are already too many threads about the situations that we find ourselves in with Iraq and North Korea. It's my intention that this thread be confined in its subject to the question of internal security within the United States and the matter of the Patriot Act, the pending Patriot Act II, and Homeland Security legislation and its possible implications. Those who have read my comments on other threads will know that I am deeply concerned about the current status of the Constitution and its future.

I am currently listening to a locally produced discussion on my local NPR affiliate about the pending Patriot Act II, and I must admit that I am appalled. Yet, there are hopeful signs in today's newspapers—at least, in the Seattle Times. One story is about airport security concerns HERE. And the other is about a Seattle City Council resolution HERE.

I am curious to know: are there similar expressions of concern in other cities and communities in the United States? I would like to think so. It reassures me that I am not the only one who is concerned about the erosion of the Constitution that has taken place recently.

By the way, if anyone has any doubts about what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they drafted the Constitution, THIS website contains quotes from a number of people, including a couple from said FFs. Better still: get a copy of the Constitution and read it. Perhaps one quote (not from the Constitution, but it seems to sum up the general thrust of the Bill of Rights) comes from Benjamin Franklin:—

Those willing to give up a little liberty for a little security deserve neither security nor liberty.

Please, let us not use this thread to talk about Iraq and North Korea. Let's confine it to matters of our Constitutional guarantees.

Don Firth