Homegrown

This morning two news stories are buzzing everyone: the arrest ot the Miami Seven and the leak to the NY Times. The blogosphere is having a busy a morning: Malkin, Babalu, Schlussel

So let's see, the nation - mainly the Democrats, Liberals and of course the ACLU - is up in arms because the governement allegedly is listening in to domestic phone conversations - versus just those from or to over seas - and examining bank transactions of average Americans who they are quick to point out are not terrorists.

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Hopefully the arrest of seven possible terrorists in Miami - five of which were American Citizens and one who was a Legal Resident Alien - might finally once and for all tell the nation and the civil rights groups that not all terrorists are in the Middle East or of Arab descent.

We have to be attentive to outside as well as inside threats. We must monitor ALL suspicious activity - whether domestic or foreign. There is no choice; security MUST supersede everything else.

I am not calling for a military state. I am calling for all citizens who are in favor of our government - Bush and subsequent presidents - protecting us better, to meet the government halfway.

Give and take people; this is a two way street. We must give up some of our liberties and the government in turn must make a stronger effort to protect us.

And no, the government does NOT have the duty to be upfront with us. Surveillance works when it is SECRET, not when it is known. How many people have incriminated themselves over the phone while aware Big Brother was listening? Not many.

Terrorists tend to be intelligent suspicious people - therefore a high degree of secrecy is not only warranted but needed for surveillance to have a preventive effect.

I can only hope that the arrest of this alleged seven terrorists - most of them American - will make people (Democrats, Liberals, ACLU and all those against the surveillance programs) think and ponder about where their priorities lie: with their "civil liberties" or with the security of the nation; are they more concern with themselves or with the safety of others.

As Americans we are individualistic by culture, maybe its time we become more of a collectivist nation: putting the good/safety of the nation ahead of some of our priorities. It seems some, as I write this, are expressing the same view.

Tags: Miami, Terrorists, Al Qaeda, NY Times, NSA, Surveillance, Banking

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