Mike's got it... while not all crime is done in the name of liberty, and not all that is done in the name of liberty is a crime... far too much that is done in the name of liberty is in actually a crime against the very liberty it claims to support...

While this may be true in some circles, it does not stand the test of unversality... there is much politics in the world which is about finding the "win-win" situations, not organization of hate... this quote is as inaccurate for politics as it would be if stated about religion in general (e.g. just because the radical religious right of most religions are about hate, not all religion is about hate).

And it appears that the limits have been reached (according to the results of the 2006.11.07 elections)...

Murder is not the answer to all problems...

The quote talks about shepherds & sheep, not elected "leaders" and voters... and there are lots of other examples of leaders & their "flock" where this quote just doesn't hold up...

Good point Mike, though I think we went back to steps as of 2006.11.07... it is reversable...

And yesterday's GOP has created many delusions for the people to use as an excuse to give up their liberties... now the real question is if the Dems will fix this now...

Blessed Be A from Fl... would that "our generation" did understand this, but I fear that it does not...

There are great and small thieves in all aspects of life, politics are no different than business or anything else. So, while the quote echos well, it also implies that which is not.

... especially when so many seem to revel in their loss of freedoms...

Sounds like the Radical Religious Right and GOP of today. I long for the days of a middle ground... which is what describes the Democrats (for most of America has no idea what a true liberal left really is, mistaking the center for left today primarilly due to the strong facist tendencies of the RRRGOP).

This quote is so aimed at King George and his henchmen... take a clue from the 80s and "just say no!"

Down with King George to restore the foundations of our very existance as a country.

... and since America has applied it to our current King George, we have found the very foundations of our country under attack from that very same King George and his pack of henchmen. We as a country are under attack only from one form of terrorism, that of our King.

No, they are not by any means ignorant... too many are just power hungry &/or completely self-centered... or perhaps even mad (e.g. King George).

Too bad today's GOP has so successfully removed these from our system of governance... too bad we have allowed them to do so...

An exception: James Earl Carter, Jr. (there are more)

When we stoop to the same lows as the terrorists we become the terrorists... and we have seen the enemy... it is it us. On 2001.09.12 we had the high ground and were free to pursue the criminals (past and future) with a clear moral compass. Now we are breeding them in Iraq and through-out much of the rest of the world... and rutting in the sewage with them because we have become them. The road back will be a long and hard one. Those who believe in prayer should pray for us all rather than praying for Armageddon.

Right on EGL.

Toleration is not the same as acceptance and non-response. When lies are put forth, they should be met with the truth not ignored. However, that does not mean that you don't tolerate the lier. King George would lock all he disagrees with up with no right to a trial 'cuase he sees them as being traitors just by having a different view... he is intolerant. A real leader would tolerate the differing view and its expression, and would counter with expression of his own view while showing tolerance for the differing view. This quote is right on... and those who do not see this are more than likely in agreement with the intolerance and totalitarian views of King George.

King George has "effective power" and with it he is "doing specific things"... primarilly killing the liberty of the American people while bringing unjust war to the world... this quote seems way off the mark, mostly telling us what something isn't, and then not telling us what it is except by a statement which could be just as untrue as true.

When the radical religous right steals our very language from us, we know that they are running scared. Science is a well defined term, and it is not a "faith-based philosophy". Likewise, war is a well defined term, and it is not what we are engaged in at this time either in Iraq or any other place on this planet.

p.s. "Jihad" is not the same as what we mean by "war". Learn your enemy and their language.

One can not conduct a war against an idea. The "War on Terrorism" is not a war, it is just a slogan to bring general fear, uncertainty and doubt to the general populous and thus power to those currently running this country (into the ground). People who plan and commit acts of terror are criminals, and can and should be pursued as such... including bringing them before a court, conducting an open trial, and abiding by the results of that trial. As some great thinkers once said, ALL men(sic) are created equal... and thus ALL deserve the basic protection of the law, including the right of habeas corpus... to do less is nothing more than to lower ourselves to the state of being criminals.

Note that there is nothing in this quote that indicates that the purchase would be recorded, just that it would be authorized by such an id... We already use such an id for these purchases, in the form of the state issued driver's license as proof of age. Far more worrysome (as the author indicates) is the info that the state already collects on our purchases, as we are (wrong headedly) allowing them to data mine such sources as our credit and bank transaction records. The cat is indeed already out of the bag and it is far past time to shove it back in when it comes to such data mining!