By: Myriam Marquez  

Race, religion, national origin. Justice for all.

Not quite. I hate to be a downer on the day the nation gives thanks. But let's not fall for the myth that all is swell. Since the reckoning of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have been losing hard-fought, long-established rights in the name of protecting the nation against terrorism. We were supposed to have become closer since the attacks, but, in fact, we have become more divided and suspicious of one another.

Civil liberties have become the casualty in this war. The Constitution's guarantees of justice and protection from government intrusion are now considered dispensable commodities to be traded for a false sense of security.

Checks and balances no longer exist. Requiring law enforcement to seek permission from a judge for searches and seizures of suspected terrorists no longer applies. Having U.S. citizens face the government's charges and have a lawyer is a moot issue - all the President has to do is call those suspects "enemy combatants", stick them in a military prison, and the government doesn't have to file official charges.

By: Dave Lindorff  

"We have a list of about 1,000 people", said David Steigman, the TSA spokesman. The agency was created a year ago by Congress to handle transportation safety during the war on terror. "This list is composed of names that are provided to us by various government organizations like the FBI, CIA, and INS... We don't ask how they decide who to list. Each agency decides on its own who is a 'threat to aviation'."

The agency has no guidelines to determine who gets on the list, Steigman says, and no procedures for getting off the list if someone is wrongfully on it.

Meanwhile, airport security personnel, citing lists that are provided by the agency and that appear to be on airline ticketing and check-in computers, seem to be netting mostly priests, elderly nuns, Green Party campaign operatives, left-wing journalists, right-wing activists, and people affiliated with Arab or Arab-American groups.

By: Michael Shannon  

There has been an embarrassing and inexplicable development taking place on the editorial pages of a number of U.S. publications. What had been a singularly unattractive undercurrent of malicious whispers amongst some members of the governing elite and their self absorbed chroniclers who so slavishly hang on every crumb thrown by them, has recently oozed to the surface. It is a sentiment which doesn't deserve to see the light of day but now that it has it demands a response. I speak of anti-Canadianism.

Why a person of any education and experience would believe the worst about Canada is difficult to grasp. Canada is a nation continental is size and scope, encompassing a vast array of spectacular natural resources, a number of highly sophisticated urban areas, and home to an ethnically diverse, well educated, good hearted, freedom loving populace. A nation should deem themselves lucky to be considered a friend by such a highly developed and successful society. And considering the mess we're currently in and how badly we need all the friends we can get, to turn a cold shoulder to the best of friends is the act of an idiot.

Editorial from:  

In naming Henry Kissinger to direct a comprehensive examination of the government's failure to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush has selected a consummate Washington insider. Mr. Kissinger obviously has a keen intellect and vast experience in national security matters. Unfortunately, his affinity for power and the commercial interests he has cultivated since leaving government may make him less than the staunchly independent figure that is needed for this critical post. Indeed, it is tempting to wonder if the choice of Mr. Kissinger is not a clever maneuver by the White House to contain an investigation it long opposed.

It seems improbable to expect Mr. Kissinger to report unflinchingly on the conduct of the government, including that of Mr. Bush. He would have to challenge the established order and risk sundering old friendships and business relationships.

"I regret [comparing Rush Limbaugh to a 'circus clown'] because my office has been flooded with angry phone calls from circus clowns all over America. They resent that comparison, and so I would like to extend my apologies to Bozo, Chuckles, and Krusty."

- Sen. John McCain

By: Bridget Gibson  

The Bush administration now brings the second half of its tenure to a thunderous applause of flag waving patriotism with the unveiling of the "Total Information Awareness" program. This wonderful new product line will undoubtedly become a household name in a very short while with its astounding powers to snoop and pry into the most mundane of corners. Santa's list merely consisted of whether you were naughty or nice, but John Poindexter wants his list to have all of the details.

Details from all of your communications (telephone calls, emails, and internet web searches), banking, credit card purchases, prescriptions, gun purchases, fertilizer purchases, fuel purchases, school records, medical records, travel history, and driver's license applications will be catalogued and available to government officials and be placed in a supercomputer data bank for analysis and threat assessment purposes.

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