>>>Alan, no one's talking about trashing the constitution here. You're preaching to the choir. But it's all those claims of us loosing our rights. Again, what rights have we lost because of the Patriot Act?
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>>We haven't lost any rights. One thing the Patriot act has done it to allow the CIA and FBI and other agencies to work with each other. They are still required to get court orders for wire taps. Liberals just want to yell whenever they think law enforcement is given more power to protect our country. I am not worried about the effects of the patriot act on us, and I view the government with suspicion, because I am one of them. As Ronald Reagan said, "the government is not your friend." However, I don't think this act is necessarily a bad one.
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>When the US gov't makes the slightest mistake, the world react as if the world is coming to an end. Where was all the outrage and photos when people were being killed for the name of Islam? Where were all the WEEKS of headline news when people were getting their heads sliced off?

We read different newspapers. I saw huge media reactions to those things you mention. I'm still seeing them. I haven't read a single article in any reputable paper that condones those actions (of course, I can't read arabic, so I probably miss some of it). When the beheadings started, I saw far more of it than I ever wanted to. When London was hit, didn't people all over the world stop and stand in silence - 'We are all British'. When the towers in New York were hit, didn't Canada and other countries react with outrage, grief and aid? You see what you want and ignore the rest. Did we not join you in Afghanistan?

Sure we opted out of Iraq, and with good reason. Can you still not admit to yourself that Iraq was a very bad (and pointless) mistake?