kmcguffee

Rewarding the smart ones who have been able to evade the INS. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

If you think we are close to that then you really don't understand our system of government. It has flaws. It is not perfect. I (as a law enforcement officer) cannot violate people's rights willy nilly. But, if you don't give the government the power to solve the problem then don't expect the problem to be solved. Some seem to have forgotten what our essential liberties are. The bill of rights outlines them very well. http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/bill_of_rights/amendments_1-10.html Also, the Supreme Court ruled a long time ago that your liberties are not absolute. It goes back to the old "yelling fire in a crowded auditorium" argument. We have always given up some of our liberties for security. We are still trying to find the right balance. I guess that means we deserve neither security or liberty unless we live in an anarchist society. I think Ammendment Four is cited in arguments regularly. Here it is: Notice the word . It doesn't say all. Now the debate is actually over what is unreasonable. It does not say that the government has to be 100% certain that you committed a crime. It says that the government must be reasonable in making the determination that you have committed a crime. Someone made the point that the government is reading their e-mail. I just had to submit a Grand Jury Subpeona to get access to someone's e-mail subscriber information. If I wanted to read your e-mail then I must do a search warrant affidavit supported by probable cause and signed off by a judge before I can get access. So, we're not there yet. My point.........the sky is not falling; if you want change then submit a solution not a problem; you support the government by assisting in solving problems not whining because other people aren't solving them for you. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Yeah, all of us "bad old police officers" are just trying to put innocent people in jail and harrass US citizens. Give me a break. Our armed forces are outstanding and deserve a lot of respect but there are a lot of other people and agencies contributing to your safety and security. You might want to take a step back and remember that it was a science fiction novel. You know, not real. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Damn, how did you get that out of what I said? Reread this thread. People are complaining about their freedoms being taken away, not someone elses. Right now it sounds more like some big conspiracy theory than anything else. So only "white upper class males" are "rich and powerful"? OK. How did you turn this into a race issue anyway? "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

This quote doesn't mean a whole lot. On one extreme is anarchy and the other extreme is a prison. There has to be a balance. Yeah, it creeped up on Germany. People ignored the changes and didn't speak out or try to help with grass roots plans to fix the problem. My point earlier was that too many people expect everything done for them by the government. If you are unhappy with how things are then study the problem, come up with a solution, and try to fix it. Don't sit around and complain how no one listens to me, they're all idiots, and I don't trust big government. That will do nothing but stagnate the process and leave us right where we are now. Everyone's privacy is important. My point was that everyone is screaming the sky is falling but very little has actually changed in their daily lives. It should not be a pain in the ass. That only serves to slow down the process of stopping crimes (allowing more to happen). It does not prevent the police from getting the information. What we need are checks and balances in place to protect your privacy. The process of getting the information should be streamlined. Our current process uses a Grand Jury to protect your privacy, but most citizens serving on a Grand Jury do not take their job seriously. Then after we get the subpoena through the Grand Jury it takes 2-3 weeks to get the information. That is up to a month after we requested it. A lot can happen in a month. The current process is not necessarily a pain in the ass it just takes forever. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

I agree with you 100%. Everytime the government tries to institute a change that will actually increase our security it gets watered down and made ineffective by people scared to death they might be inconvenienced by the government. When the next attack happens it will not surprise me a bit. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Been to any militia meetings lately? "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

I do foresee a day where the ATF starts limiting guns since it prevents possible future terrorist actions. Guns are already limited by the ATF. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Actually, the question was how have your freedoms or privacy been intruded on. Have you been in a military prison? Have you been wiretapped? Have you attempted to get information through the FOIA and been denied? People are crying about their feedoms being stripped away and have really not felt any hardship. They just want to complain about something. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

There is a small difference here. The "radical islamic terrorists" were fighting against Soviet Military Troops occupying their country. Saddam is supporting suicide bombers who are targeting civilians. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Write them and tell them that. I don't play with model rockets. I'll bet they are not as "stupid" as you think though. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

So you are willing to sacrifice 2,000 to 3,000 people each year so that your luggage isn't searched when you travel? I'll just have to disagree with you and move on. I understand your concerns but changes do have to be made. There are no perfect systems. You might be inconvenienced a little in the process. Let's just hope we can prevent another large one. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Oh god. I'm officially changing my stance. I will be nude and forming a peace sign in downtown Houston tomorrow. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

They are usually experts in the field. This does not mean they are model rocket hobbyists though. Do you really realize what would happen to this country if we allowed a September 11th once a year? How many airlines went bankrupt after September 11th? How many jobs were lost? Think about what could be done if our oil or telecommunications industries were targeted next. It wouldn't take much more to really effect our economy. Pleae name a few instances where your freedoms or privacy have been intruded on since September 11, 2001. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

From what I've seen it is more of "this is stupid, don't do it". They are not presenting an alternative plan that will address the issues. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

I heard that rumor a good while ago. NK hasn't been very successful so far. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

LOL, we've been talking about that at the office all day! Physical torture doesn't work. The US has been very successfull with other types of interrogation, such as treating them well and making them think you are their friend. When that doesn't work you just ask them the same questions over and over in different ways until you figure out where they are lying. It takes longer but you get better and more truthful results. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Without some very strong changes in how we find and defeat the potential terrorists we will eventually have another September 11th. There is not a bit of doubt in my mind about that and I work on a Joint Terrorism Task Force. Instead of calling everyone that is trying to keep it from happening again "stupid", why don't you guys who know how it should be done write up a detailed plan and submit it. I'm not being sarcastic here, I'm serious. This might just be an issue of someone with limited (or no) model rocket experience being tasked with stopping the threat of a terrorist attack by small rockets. If you have the experience and knowledge then put it to use to solve the problem. Don't wait until they have invested time and money in a plan then throw wrenches in the solution. If that happens we'll be right back where we started. Find out what type of attack they are trying to stop and help in finding a solution. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

I've heard rumors that North Korea is in cohoots (legal term) with Iraq. Their idea is to pull the US into a two front war. The closer we get to war with Iraq the more N Korea is going to try to pull our attention their way. In this way they can ultimately defeat the US. If you'll remember the armed forces had the mission of being able to win a two front war during the 1990s. What do you think that mission was based on. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

I thought it was funny. Maybe I just have a simple mind. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

On who's part? The US or Al Quaida? "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

What? "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

Who were you expectin? Dr Evil. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

That is what I remember too. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

This is probably what they are doing. The check is no good. You will cash it, get the money, send them the money then it will bounce. It will take a while for it to hit their account and for you to find out. They will have the cash and be on their way. The account is probably in a fake name and a forged ID. Their are a lot of these scams going on. Guys will open two accounts at separate banks, put some money in one account then write checks on that account to the other account. The checks will be deposited in one account before it is withdrawn from the other. They will withdraw their money from both accounts before the bank can withdraw any money. They are using the bank lag time to make money. All of this is done with forged IDs, stolen SSNs, etc. PM me the specifics if you want to report this. I can get it to the right people. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin