Replies

Now FReepers need to be honest here. Back during Clinton's Balkins boondoggle (which remains ongoing at this time) a lot of us read, agreed with and posted material from LewRockwell.com. This was because we did not believe we had any business being involved in the Balkin's conflict and felt (in my case, still feel) that it was a total wag-the-dog exercise of Bubba's part.

Now, we also need to admit that there is and has been a great deal of anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, jingoistic rhetoric floating around in various posts in the forum these days.

A lot of that is understandable. We all need to vent anger on occassion.

But, while I don't accept and strongly disagree with the characterizations of FReepers made in this article, I think he is pointing out something that is significant. I am also a bit uneasy about how fast some of us have switched from sullen suspicion to lock-step approval of the Federal government here. It wasn't that long ago when FEMA was a bigger boogie-man on the forum than Saddam Hussien.

Yes this is a war. Yes, we need to support our Government and most definitely our Servicemembers as they fight it. But we also need to calm down and remember that we are not slaves or subjects to a crown, and that we have an obligation to keep a close eye on what our government is doing to ensure that it is acting in the best interests of the American republic. This is an obligation of citizenship that cannot be shirked at any time if the nation is to remain free.

we also need to admit that there is and has been a great deal of anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, jingoistic rhetoric floating around in various posts in the forum these days.

Lew needs to understand that unlike his site, we are a forum. I wonder what would have happened if he opened his site to comments from readers. In fact, I know that, because I posted from him at least once and participated in many threads that followed his articles. Lew is good in staking out some least popular position, usually with a libertarian bend, and making a case for it. On this war, the unpopular does not translate to the right.

Damned rights this is war. And the FReepers have a right to be pissed! We were attacked! On our own soil! Thousands of our countrymen were killed by a foreign power. The bombed out buildings of NYC and the Pentagon are war zones. The enemy was aiming to knockout the Whitehouse, Airforce One, Camp David, the Capitol, the Pentagon our financial centers and who knows what else? And they came dangerously close to accomplishing their goal. Had they succeeded and killed our Pres, Vice Pres, leaders of Congress, our military chain of command and our financial centers, the USA would've completely collapsed. This is NOT the Balkins. This is America defending her own soil and her own blood. And we are still under attack. The terrorists can strike anywhere at anytime. No one will know where or when or with what they will attack next. The federal government clearly has the Constitutional responsibility and authority to defend the nation when it is attacked and that's exactly what President Bush and his people are doing. I am beginning to think that if the Libertarians do not have the intestinal fortitude to defend the nation when deliberately attacked by foreign powers, then we should thank God and pray that they will NEVER have sufficient numbers to get elected to any meaningful office.

The constitution gives the President special powers in the time of war. Those powers are constitutional.

We are at war. Our survival may be at stake.

To date I have not seen the President abuse those powers. When and if he does we have an obligation to discuss it and do what's in our power to correct it.

All this hand ringing of what he might do is a waste of time and resources.