[alphabassettgrrl]

I'm with you. I don't think any of us really thought about what it would mean long-term. Certainly never thought it would lead to the invasions of privacy and full-scale invasion of two or three other countries.

We like to think that the enemy is "out there", someone else, but the truth is that we have the potential to do much more damage, and more long-lasting, to our own darn selves. It's sad, but we have the potential to unravel our society. And we seem to be inclined to do so.

My mom commented that she refuses to have any more fear. If you listen to the politicians, you'd never leave your house. And that's stupid. The worst of it is that the fear serves no purpose.

Sure, keep an eye out for things that don't look right, but for the most part, any individual person has a pretty low chance of running across terrorism. I was offended by the suggestion to watch what library books a person checks out, and to have the letter carriers report on the neighborhoods they serve. They should have the same reporting system and responsibility as any other citizen, and honestly, they probably would report if they saw something they truly thought was suspicious. But don't set citizens to spying on their fellow citizens. Not cool.