“The Patriot Act provides the tools we need to defend ourselves.”
I think armed pilots could have prevented 9/11.
LOL. 9/11 was just one manifestation of the threat AQ and militant Islamic fundamentalism poses to the US. Armed pilots could not have prevented WTC I, the attack against our embassies in East Africa, the attack against the USS Cole, and foiled plots like the Millenium bomber and the Ft. Dix six. The best defense against this enemy is intelligence, shared by all of the appropriate agencies of government. If we had had the tools provided by the Patriot Act prior to 9/11, it is quite possible that the perpetrators would never have even boarded those planes.