Originally Posted by Bart

I don't think we're headed there. The one great thing about this country is its diversity and determination to remain free. While many may disagree on the definition of that freedom, I think we have a healthy dose of suspicion about government motives, methods and intentions. For example, I support many provisions of the Patriot Act. I think many of them are common sense measures that have finally prevailed to aid law enforcement catch criminals, namely terrorists. However, I don't blindly support it, and I think it's absolutely great that it's under debate. I think that's a healthy sign that this nation, while willing to use its government to combat terrorism, is still not so willing to let government justify its actions under the blanket of fighting terrorism.

Even under LBJ's Great Society, which some may define as a dangerous step towards socialism, we still welcomed debate and dissent. We did not fall over the edge into socialism as some feared. And contrary to what many believe, we were nowhere close to it during the Clinton years. Bill Clinton, if anything, was a shrewd politician who managed to get where he wanted by playing both ends against the middle...figuratively in the political sense. Yet there were those who believed that we were headed towards martial law under Clinton or were going to surrender our sovereignty to the UN.

No, my friend, this country is still in great shape.