>>>I fully understand people want to hold us to a higher standard and that is a good thing, but I don't think comparisons like the one you made are useful, since they come across more as political propaganda than reasoned argument. We deserve criticism (though many of those who criticize seem to be blind to the actions of their own cultures and governments ) but for the criticism to be useful it has to be grounded in reality and rise above adolescent sloganeering. (this latter not directed particularly at your more reasoned arguments but certainly at) a comparison of the US to Soviet, Nazi or NRP barbarism.)
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>>>Isn't this what the communists and nazis were famous for? Damn, it's just unAmerican!
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>>>John, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the USofA has become "the communists and nazis" of the world.
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>>Let me try to clarify then:
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>>It seems the United States Government in it´s fight against terror is using methods that previously condemned in communist and nazi regimes.
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>>Not only that, the logic used to justify the use if this methods could have been taken from any old communist/nazi speech.
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>>If the current situation evolves like it usually does in this cases, we can only expect an increase in the use of this methods, and a generalization of use with it´s native population.
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>>One possible outcome if this phenomena is that the United States government will, in the process of fighting a terrorist menace, become a terrorist itself, by employing the same tacticts and methods used by its enemy.
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>>Better now?
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>>Just think for a minute: how much power does any airport official has over you? Answer: he can basically do whathever he wants with you, you have no defense, nothing. Just so much as a bad look at him and you are toast. They can only make you loose a flight and maybe have a bad momoent for some hours/days right now, let´s see in a couple of years, when they will be able to throw you away in the airport dungeons and forget about you forever.
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>>And by the way, don´t kid yourself, the whole restraining thing and not nuking them, is not out of good will and goodguys'ness. There are other nuclear countries still around, and who knows how they will react. :)
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>>Carlos Alloatti
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>That's actually all quite well said. I agree with a great deal of it. I also understand the complexity of the responsibility of actually doing something about people who I believe are truly evil and represent a perversion of the human spirit.
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>A particular vulnerablity of Western society is our ability to have our very principles manipulated into weaknesses. Remember Stalin's praise of "useful idiots"?
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>It is always tough to balance this. We want to think well of ourselves and can be "guilted" into acting in what is not necessarily our best interest.
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>I remember Golda Maier saying "Israel will not commit suicide so the world will think well of her."
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>There are few absolutes in this, but I do know a lot of people with responsibility for security really do wrestle with the moral issues involved.

I have no doubt that is true. Unfortunately those responsible for setting policy, the ones who decided a little torture is OK now, do not seem to be among them. Nor are they accountable. Even when Congress subpoenas them to testify they just blow it off, claiming executive privilege. IOW, our own permission is all we need.