Tommy, the point is one of comparison - you're saying that we need to set aside our liberties to fight terrorism because if we don't, there's no way to win.
I'm pointing out that the drug war has killed far more people than terrorism, and ruined countless more lives, yet no sane person on this board would argue that we need to suspend our right to trial in order to fight drugs.
If terrorism is such a lethal threat, why don't you support doing away with trials and allowing Government assassinations for the drug war, which is far more dangerous to America than terrorism will ever be?
I don't know why I bother........
No, I did NOT say
"we need to set aside our liberties to fight terrorism because if we don't, there's no way to win."The drug problem has been a direct problem far longer than terrorism and has infiltrated our society far more thoroughly than terrorism. It's a pretty bad threat....go look at what crack cocaine does to people.
We've only been warring with the Jihadis since 9/11/01. Terrorism became a "pretty lethal threat" on September 11th, 2001. I am not willing to sit back and allow the Jihadis to take as many lives as the ill-fought "war on drugs" before I agree we ought start killing the bastages.
The president has many legal advisors around him and I am fairly certain the authority for whacking him was pretty well vetted, and as well the U.S. military has a whole bunch of JAG lawyers around vetting their actions, so I am fairly certain that the legality of every flip of the switch was likely properly vetted before Al Awlaki was sent to his maker.
The idea that we ought to "set aside" our rights to me is rather a non sequitor. I never said we ought to though I do think our rights have been under attack since long before 9/11. I don't consider offing Awlaki to be a violation of my rights, your rights, or anyone else's rights.
I also tend to wonder just where everyone was who is complaining about our loss of rights under the "war against Jihadi terrorists" back when Clinton was signing on to Echelon, or Nixon was compiling an enemies list, or the BATF was shooting Randy Weaver's wife & son, or frying up the Branch Davidians.
A little research will show that our rights have hardly ever been completly safe from attack.
But please don't try to convince me that radical Jihadis do not pose a threat to America, because I think it's pretty undeniable since they manage to commandeer our own aircraft on 9/11/01 and murder 2,973 innocent human beings.
I can very largely avoid probems with illegal drugs by not seeking them out and not using them.
I can't so easily decide to avoid terrorist attacks .... I have no idea when where or how they will atack us again, or if the FBI will be able to interdict the attack or not.