>SNIP
>>
>>It says nothing about any of those. You are reading way too much into the decision. You do realize that we are at war and that information is the primary weapon, do you not?
>>
>Hi Jake,
>
>The U.S. still has on-going wars on
>- drugs
>- cancer
>- poverty
>- illiteracy (I think)
>
I agree that the US "declares war" rhetorically too often. That being said, this is an actual armed conflict being carried out under the authority given to the president by the congress and constitutionally mandated.

>None of them have involved the depth and breadth of governmental intrusion or governmental malfeasance as this "war" has wrought.

Let's compare apples to apples. 1812, WWI&II, Korea. Internment camps while confiscating the property of millions, tapping citizens (not foreign just foreign calls but all calls), installed curfews, FBI files on political dissidents, etc.

>
>Do you find it a bit odd that those "wars" didn't seem to endow the President with the powers this current President seems to think he has?
>Do you find it odd that, when convenient you (the U.S.) are in a war, but when it is inconvenient (rights endowed to citizens in certain circumstances by being "at war") you are not?
>

See my statement above.

>I believe only the U.S. has an on-going "war on terror" that it actually treats as a "war" (when convenient). Most other countries are also battling terror on many levels but they have elected to not declare a state of "war" in doing so.

Many more are going to in the near future. See events in Gaza, Lebanon and India this week. This is not going away. Islamic fundamentalists have declared war on the free world and we can either choose to fight it now or let it fester for another generation and let our children deal with it with even nastier weapons.

>Do you think there's a small possibility that the President and his close associates need this state of "war" to accomplish other objectives they may have?

Yes. I believe those objectives to be the expansion of freedom around the world and to combat the forces of militant islamic fundamentalism.

>Just some thoughts.

Always welcome

>cheers
>SNIP