I think this is the first year...

[Hauldren Collider]

The war in afghanistan basically routed Al Qaeda years ago, and the Taliban are only interested in Afghanistan. I'd say it's a bit low.

We're still rooting out the Taliban on the theory that if we let them take over again, Al Qaeda will just come back.

[Al B. Sure!]

The war in afghanistan basically routed Al Qaeda years ago, and the Taliban are only interested in Afghanistan. I'd say it's a bit low.

We're still rooting out the Taliban on the theory that if we let them take over again, Al Qaeda will just come back.

Al Qaeda does not exist only in Afghanistan. It's a network that doesn't need the explicit support of a government.

[Hauldren Collider]

But they were primarily based there because the Taliban gave them a haven.

[Al B. Sure!]

But they were primarily based there because the Taliban gave them a haven.

Yeah but they're better off where they apparently are now... Pakistan because the US can't easily get to them there.

[Hauldren Collider]

I doubt that Al Qaeda is doing better today than it was 10 years ago.

[Al B. Sure!]

I doubt that Al Qaeda is doing better today than it was 10 years ago.

Don't get complacent.

[Elok]

It's far better to be on alert, the way we were through all the Bush years, ever vigilant, looking around us wherever we went for...suspicious stuff of an unspecified nature. I tell you, those color-coded alerts really saved our asses.

[Guynemer]

We totally lost our minds on 9-11, and we haven't recovered our sanity since. Our current state of perpetual war is highly dangerous to our Constitutional rights.

[Hauldren Collider]

It isn't the only thing, guynemer.

Federal government extorting the states, child porn getting you stuffed on the sex offender list, unlimited economic regulation, and the inability of congress to have even the slightest grain of control over the military are probably even better places to start. Oh, and let's not forget government replacing criminal offenses with tax offenses, which changes the burden of proof over to guilty until proven innocent.

[GePap]

"Unlimited economic regulation"?

Please, now there is some of the hyperbole that is responsible for the mess we are in.

[GePap]

We totally lost our minds on 9-11, and we haven't recovered our sanity since. Our current state of perpetual war is highly dangerous to our Constitutional rights.

Sorry, but what makes you think we were "sane" prior to 9/11?

Blaming 9/11 for our current condition is a convenient excuse for all the structural and societal problems we have in this society, none of which were caused by 9/11. I would agree that 9/11 might have brought out the symptoms of our commons disease faster than otherwise, but it isn't the cause of it at all.

[Hauldren Collider]

"Unlimited economic regulation"?

Please, now there is some of the hyperbole that is responsible for the mess we are in.

Not referring to that. I'm talking about how the federal government is no longer subject to enumerated economic powers. I also forgot to mention how we seem to be using the supreme court as a convenient way of avoiding amending the constitution.

[GePap]

Not referring to that. I'm talking about how the federal government is no longer subject to enumerated economic powers. I also forgot to mention how we seem to be using the supreme court as a convenient way of avoiding amending the constitution.

And pray tell what were these supposed past "enumerated economic powers"?

Since when is there a singular way to read the Constitution? Claiming that there is just one way to interpret that text is about as valid as claiming there is only one way to interpret the New Testament. The great proliferation of Christian sects is solid empirical evidence of the wrongness of such a claim.

[Imran Siddiqui]

@ HC. Complaining about the federal government not being subject to "enumerated economic powers" is hilarious, especially consider modern economists basically consider every thing we do to be economic in nature.

[Ben Kenobi]

That I have logged on to Poly on the morning of September 11 and not seen a "9/11 never forget" thread.

I had stuff to do this morning. I'm glad Slowwy posted it.