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I have been around the block a few times, and my observation, as a student of U.S. history and from first hand, close up, life experience, as a politically active and opinionated U.S. resident, is that these are the most polarized and politically charged days that I have lived through. There is a lot at stake, including policies that are determining whether there will continue to be a "middle" economic class of signifigant size, and whether the Bill of Rights will afford us any of the protections, in the coming years, in a way that can be recognized as comparable to our understanding of these "inalienable" rights enjoyed (and possibly taken for granted), in the past. Part of the difference of opinion is the reaction, appropriately bordering on outrage, of those who believe that warrantless searches, called 'sneak and peak" invasions of the residences of private citizens, and other searches that formerly required warrants signed by judges, but now approved, and then carried out, only by the officials in law enforcement and other government investigative units, who deem them necessary and appropriate, vs. those who are satisfied that the change is necessary and the risk of placing the protection of the individual against the risk of unreasonable search, in the hands of the searchers themselves, instead of in the hands of an impartial member of the judiciary, is acceptable. This is a big leap, and some defend it as necessary, and seem to communicate a belief that the fury exhibited by the incredulous and concerned opposition, is as alarming an issue as the enabling and permitting of policies of warrantless searches, are, themselves.

The reaction by the defenders of, and those unconcerned about the new search policies, is to sometimes accuse the outraged opposition of being "unpatriotic" or "un-American", for posting opinions and descritptions of what the process of weakening the Bill of Rights actually amounts to.

In the 60's, there were enough signs that there was cause for concern, that everyone was, by and large, concerned. There were race riots in major cities, assassinations of prominent advocates for social and political change, and some weeks, 500 or more U.S. soldiers died in Vietnam and many of the dead and wounded were pictured on tv, as they were carried from battle. The poor and disenfranchised in society were largely not disputed to be in such circumstances.

Now we seem to live in political crosscurrents where some actually either believe that many of the issues and controversies, even some of the ones that are of grave concern to some of us who post on these threads, literally matters that will determine the future structure of our government, our laws, our health, and the state of our economy, and our environment, are not controversies or problems at all, certainly nothing rising to the state of the alarm and attention that we afford to them.

Very curious and troubling times, aggravated by an explosion of information and sources of it. Those who are old enough can remember when there were three tv networks for the news, and one news anchor of such stature, that if he proclaimed something to be so, it was. Lyndon Johnson, almost immediately after Walter Cronkite, in early 1968, declared on tv that the war in Vietnam was no longer "winnable", withdrew his candidacy for a second full term as president.

Well,,,,we no longer have, real or imagined, any arbiter of issues of the influence that Cronkite once wielded. We have only our own opinions these days, and it shows. We foist them on each other here, and it gets heated, because some of us
are very concerned about the future, others less so, and still others, frustrated by our inability to perceive current trends as positive developments that are progressing in the correct direction.

We do not "settle" anything here. Our interaction seems to strenghten our resolve. This is a politics discussion board. It needs to be a DMZ, and that is about all that the majority of us can agree on. My goal here is to do the best that I can to justify the opinions that I convey here with the most unimpeachable and verifiable sources of information that I am able to locate and point others to. I am engaged in a learning process here, and I hope i can recognize and learn from others here who are also trying to discern what it is that is really going on in America today. This is a process of determining what ideas and policies to support or oppose, who the advocates are of the ideas and policies, and to what degree it is appropriate for oneself to support of oppose them.

Some principles and beliefs are worth risking life or limb to support or to oppose. American adults are skillful in demanding those kinds of commitments of people in other parts of the world, and of our own young countrymen who are influenced to serve in our military. As dependent as we are finding ourselves on the enduring value of our paper currency and on a petroleum supply that we no longer own or control, all of us have more weighty matters to concern ourselves with than most of the matters that attract the most attention and participation in this politics forum.
Please consider getting back to the other threads or starting new ones. I propose more participation on these threads by Halx and mods and administrators. These times are too troubling and challenging for anyone who could potentially participate to "opt out".