If you have ever been on the road after an accident just happened and the traffic grinds to screeching halt. It is not the accident that slows every one down its the rubber neckers. What every one calls rubber neckers I call is sick bastards. The sick bastards love to see the carnage they want to see someone else at their lowest point in life. It makes them feel that God is looking after them and the poor man that was just in an accident deserved it in someway. 

My point is this as long as it isn’t Me Its ok. So they will beat their chests and say yea lets do it, until someone says lets bring back the draft. Then it gets personal for the mother and father that have a young son or daughter. Suddenly diplomacy should be the answer because there is no way they want one of their own on the side of the road.

I served and you served we know what it takes and what it takes from you. Until every one has something at risk no one we elect will be able to the job. Because the rest of the world knows that the majority of our country will give up nothing but expect everything.

We are more good than bad.

Coming from a LIAR and a hypocrite,  that statement is pretty meaningless

The Germans certainly considered themselves to be more good than bad.....even under Hitler....

Government?

Our government is THE thing that separates the US from Urinary Leader countries like China or Nazi Germany.....

And OUR government is defined by its Constitution.....

It IS America, not just a '   ' piece of paper.......

He also committed warrantless wiretapping in direct violation of the 4 th amendment and IN SPITE of the FISA laws...

link:[news.bbc.co.uk]

Mr Bush authorised the secret intercept scheme in 2001 after the 11 September attacks but it did not come to light until December 2005 when it was uncovered by the New York Times newspaper.

Under the programme, international phone calls and e-mails to or from the US could be wiretapped without the need for a warrant, if the person or people involved were suspected of having terrorist links.

Normally the National Security Agency was required to obtain a warrant from the special surveillance court before eavesdropping on someone in the US.

'Too slow'

Critics of the programme said it circumvented legal safeguards designed to balance civil liberties with the need to gather foreign intelligence.

They also argued that President Bush had exceeded his powers.

The issue has never been whether to monitor suspected terrorists but doing it legally and with proper checks and balances to prevent abuses

The Bush administration had defended the warrantless programme, saying the procedure for obtaining authorisation to eavesdrop on terrorist suspects was too slow and cumbersome.

link:[www.cnn.com]

Then Bu$h LIES about it:

President Bush -- April 19, 2004:

For years, law enforcement used so-called roving wire taps to investigate organized crime. You see, what that meant is if you got a wire tap by court order -- and, by the way, everything you hear about requires court order, requires there to be permission from a FISA court, for example.

President Bush -- April 20, 2004:

Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

President Bush -- June 9, 2005:

One tool that has been especially important to law enforcement is called a roving wiretap. Roving wiretaps allow investigators to follow suspects who frequently change their means of communications. These wiretaps must be approved by a judge, and they have been used for years to catch drug dealers and other criminals. Yet, before the Patriot Act, agents investigating terrorists had to get a separate authorization for each phone they wanted to tap. That means terrorists could elude law enforcement by simply purchasing a new cell phone. The Patriot Act fixed the problem by allowing terrorism investigators to use the same wiretaps that were already being using against drug kingpins and mob bosses.

White House fact sheet - June 9, 2005:

The Patriot Act extended the use of roving wiretaps, which were already permitted against drug kingpins and mob bosses, to international terrorism investigations. They must be approved by a judge. Without roving wiretaps, terrorists could elude law enforcement by simply purchasing a new cell phone.

President Bush -- July 20, 2005:

The Patriot Act helps us defeat our enemies while safeguarding civil liberties for all Americans. The judicial branch has a strong oversight role in the application of the Patriot Act. Law enforcement officers need a federal judge's permission to wiretap a foreign terrorist's phone, or to track his calls, or to search his property. Officers must meet strict standards to use any of the tools we're talking about. And they are fully consistent with the Constitution of the United States.

White House fact sheet -- July 20, 2005:

The judicial branch has a strong oversight role in the application of the Patriot Act. Law enforcement officers must seek a federal judge's permission to wiretap a foreign terrorist's phone, track his calls, or search his property. These strict standards are fully consistent with the Constitution. Congress also oversees the application of the Patriot Act, and in more than three years there has not been a single verified abuse.

President Bush -- December 10, 2005:

The Patriot Act is helping America defeat our enemies while safeguarding civil liberties for all our people. The judicial branch has a strong oversight role in the application of the Patriot Act. Under the act, law enforcement officers need a federal judge's permission to wiretap a foreign terrorist's phone or search his property. Congress also oversees our use of the Patriot Act. Attorney General Gonzales delivers regular reports on the Patriot Act to the House and the Senate.

AA wrote:

"Johnny,

Here's my issue with you entire article. I don't see our country as just it's government, I see it as it's people. And in them I am proud. Daily they go to work, love their kids and treat each other right.

Using just our governments official policy as the deciding factor of your pride in this country is single minded in my opinion. It's much like Michelle Obama's criteria for pride in her country.

We are more good than bad."

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Yes they do all that but live in a bubble. They, like you live in their own little world and don't care what happens outside that world. When I was a young man and had trouble along side the road or similar problems strangers would stop and ask what was wrong and if I needed help. Now they just look the other way. I'm sure that they tell themselves that they are scared but that is a cop out. Most just can't be bothered with other peoples problems.

Americans, as far as outside of their little bubbles are what their governments official policies are. They have gotten the kind of government they deserve to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw. All these illegal and immoral acts are being done in our names using 911 as and excuse and the people just bury their heads in the sand and say "what me worry". Yes we are more good than bad but then again so were the German people during Hitler's regime.

The good American people are guilty of indifference and it's because they can't see the effect all these atrocities have on them personally. If that floats your boat then you can have your false pride. I'll stick to realism.