Unclear Danger: Inside the Lackawanna Terror Case: "'We were looking to prevent something,' he said. 'And we did. Obviously nothing happened. So we all did our job.' "

This is really curious to me. The war on terrorism, from this perspective, is judged to be a success when no terrorist acts are carried out. But nothing happening doesn't prove anything was accomplished. And it makes it difficult to evaluate if the controversial actions taken in furthering the government's policies are worthwhile.

The other point is that "no results" is a double standard. Because when terrorist acts do take place, they are simply used to justify the war on terror. As in Iraq. There was no threat to the US from Iraq, before we invaded. Now terrorists are attacking our soldiers daily, killing several every week. If "no results" was the standard for measuring success, we'd know that terrorist attacks in Iraq point to the failure of Bush's invasion / war on terror. But, this is not so according to George Bush.

To the contrary, in George's world, now that we have terrorist attacks on US soldiers, we have evidence that the invasion of Iraq is part of the war on terror. And a reason for continuing Bush's policy there--whatever the hell that is. (He seems to change the purpose of being there every few weeks or so.)

This circular reasoning keeps us trapped in a perpetual war, fed by the kind of fears that Dick Cheney promoted this week. (Terrorists seeking ways to kill hundreds of thousand of Americans.) Such thinking is a danger in itself. It means in the ultimate analysis of this administration, that Bush can kill anyone, even American citizens, if he thinks they are terrorists. No proof needed. No justification except it's what "needs to be done." (See the story below.) Just his authorization and hey presto, a Predator somewhere in the world kills whomever he wants.

Sorry, to anyone who feels that George Bush has the right to kill anyone he thinks is a terrorist, but to me this is illegal.

There is nothing that I have ever heard of that gives the chief executive of this nation the power to kill anyone, without the most serious checks and balances. But that is what is happening now. Without accountability. And without accountability, we have a dictatorship, not a democracy.

Thus the war on terror becomes the end of the American Republic, the end of the American Revolution--the end of something that had so much promise and beauty, corrupted in part by the richest administration in history. Ironically, they claim to love America as they systematically destroy it.

The greatest damage that can happen to "America" is that we stop defending it. America is not the land we live upon. That has been here for millions of years.

America is a set of ideas, laws and beliefs that have been evolving for a few hundred years or so. Most importantly, it is about rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But our government's response to 9-11 has been to restrict freedom, end life and instill fear. That is why I am so dismayed by this war on terror. Because it displays such ignorance of what "America" is. They talk about Homeland Security but they have mistaken "America" for the right to do business and own things rather than a foundation for equality and justice free from tyranny; mistaken "We the People", for saps to manipulate through clever political campaigns rather than the source of political power; mistaken God for the power of self interest, rather than the love that unifies all.

What is America really? Answering that question is really the greatest challenge of 9-11. The person who gives the most American answer is the true patriot.

Mr. Bush's answer is an old one; corporate and military might. I personally like Howard Dean's answer. America is you, the people, and you have the answers. You have the power.

That is leadership. And that is so American, Dean deserves to be the next American President. Because he articulates the truth about who we are. And tells the truth about those who claim leadership now, but who have proven to be intimidating masters interested in subservience of the people rather than empowering service to the people.

May God truly bless America, and all people on the planet, and the planet that supports our life. Only with divine grace will this whole complex mess be resolved.
- posted by geoff @ #