Should things like this worry us Americans?
826835
"While majority Democrats will have the power to demand information from the White House and control the federal pursestrings, their constitutional ability to control defense and foreign policy issues will be limited. The president still commands the armed forces and oversees diplomatic dealings with other nations.\n\nFurther, even though Democrats will control the Senate, they will do so only by a narrow 51-49 margin. Democrats will lack the two-thirds majorities needed to override presidential vetoes and enact bills the White House might oppose, and the 60 votes needed to prevent Senate Republicans from filibustering legislation."\n\n\nThey may preach change, but they lack the power to enforce it.
706025
I agree! It seems as though things in our government have gotten out of hand. I don't know if it would take a good president or the united states keeping our noses to ourselves. Its like we are trying to fix the world and we can't even fix ourselves. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks our America is in need of dire help. Good job for speaking out.
435745
Sadly, for all the apocalyptic liberals out there, this situation will not and can not take place in our (I am making the assumption that we are addressing America) future. The reason I say this is because our country has faced moments of unbelievable despair, terror and fear and has continually avoided the uprising of a despot. Even more so, as long as the constitution is in place this situation will not arise because we have this little idea of "balance of powers" ingrained into it. While I understand that many people believe that the team of Rumsfeld, Rice, Bush and Cheney are capable of creating a system similar to that in V for Vendetta, I have to say I strongly disagree. America is an idealistic, wealthy and powerful country that will not risk the one dimensional nature of a theocratic/monarchic government. We are who WE are because we have free trade, freedom of speech and freedom of expression and to attack these values would weaken us to the level of a third world nation. While some may vilify corporate America and the material nature of our country, do you really believe that the top 20% of this country would risk losing the power they have and wield as a result of current system? If you answered yes to that, my response is an emphatic NO. Just think about the level of greed in this country, do you really believe that we would ever give our power and control to a small group of elites (compared to a large group)? There is no way, because we are all greedy, all materialistic and all (to an extent) imperialistic and because of this Americans will never let this situation arise. I appreciate you reading this and I hope that it results in further discourse and thought about this subject. Thank You.
698647
Yes, it does worry me a lot.\nI try to do my share in order to give a better future not only to other people but to animals as well.\nAnd I think it is very insensitive and selfish to say that one is not worried, because we have seen and read the effects of global warming in our daily lives (floods, heat waves, cold waves, etc).\nWhat happened in New Orleans last year, was a sign of the climate change and people's actions towards the environment.\nIt won't be only our great-grandchildren to feel the consequences, we are feeling them right now. Open your eyes, the changes are out there!\nAnd together we can do something to save the planet, but as long as we have people that won't give up their cars, that will take baths instead of showers, that will light up all the lamps in their houses when they only need one, countries that don't honour the Kyoto Protocol etc. This planet, as well as humans, are condemned.
701487
Worry about your own country. We'll take of ours.
466631
No, especially considering the fact that would make the average American a hypocrite.\n\nWhoops, already happened.
794186
Yes I am concerned, but Congress rolled over and it is legal to torture....which I think makes us all the more unsafer. Think of a soldier captured and getting tortured.
127047
The biggest problem facing America in my view is a creeping insecurity that causes people to be unreasonably fearful and, as a result, more selfish and less open to knowledge and understanding. This fear might arise from a lot of different events - the war in Iraq, 9/11, layoffs, crystal meth in smalltown America - but it has turned into a chronic condition all its own.\n\nWe're all marshalling our metaphorical soldiers around us, trying to keep out the unfamiliar, pile up some money against the uncertain future. We're not taking care of each other because we're so afraid.\n\nIn a way, we're much like the people rioting against the West in the Muslim world. From the Western European/U.S. perspective, people are getting all bent out of shape about something that we take for granted. But imagine that we could remove ourselves from our own perspective and watch our responses from some TV screen in another world. Would our fear-based reactions look any more rational? I'm not sure they would. They seem reasonable because they're familiar. But think about the way gang violence destroys poor communities. Think about the way that sports fans torch cars. Of insurance fraud. Of deep-seeded, insidious hypocrisy in so many aspects of our lives.\n\nI'm not sure we should be afraid; politicians of all descriptions have been exploiting the fear, though. We don't have a sensible, sensitive, and rational voice that doesn't belie self-interest.\n\nI don't know what we can do now. Maybe each and every one of us can give up something unnecessary and wasteful - driving an SUV, smoking cigarettes, watching reality TV - and take time to learn as much as possible about the people we share the planet with.
854815
Eye-opening, a wake up call. It's time America woke up to the fact that these people are out to kill us, destroy our way of life and put their own perverted system in control of our country and the rest of the world. \n\n When they say they intend to destroy us, we perhaps better pay attention!! To do otherwise would either be naive or unconcerned about our nation's well being.
104530
We should worry about things like this when we have a president with whom it matters.
41135
I am a history teacher and could give you a laundary list of reasons and history behind the whole event, but I will leave you with this . . . they are the government.  If the U.S. government feels there is a threat to the interests of the nation, it is going to act upon that by whatever means necessary.
478659
It saddens me that Americans might even consider this to be something worth pondering.
418609
I feek like this could pose another problem later for the US.
980014
To law abiding citizens it seems to appear no threat on the surface. Why would it bother or affect me? The underlying fact remains that it could happen to you. It could affect you. A neighbour or co-worker you angered in some way, phones a pal in the government, abuses happen, remember the real "red menace " of the McCarthy years. Because this Act gives anyone the ability to suspend the one right America had defended since birth is indefensible due to it's very almost uni-lateral design. Even if you are truly innocent, this Act means that you could not present that evidence and you have no recourse? Don't sound American to me.
1176387
It's simple. It's made us paranoid to the point we're becoming more like the countries we're trying to spread our "freedom" to. If this is what freedom is, no wonder they kill us for trying to give it to them.
862575
I think it exposes that most americans are jerks. (Yes, calm down, I am an American myself)
977372
time to quit gloating over the mistake basically good people made while in a state of extreme stress and high anxiety.  Bush/Cheney et al did an excellent job of exploiting the valid fears of the American People to their self aggrandizing advantage. it's wrong to continue to blame the American People for being so fearful since making and keeping them fearful was the campaign tactic.  give the majority of Americans some credit for having finally shaken off the Rovian thrall and coming to their senses.\n\nPS. reply to edit.  i did say the MAJORITY of Americans as evidenced by the recent Dem wins.  the neoCONNED will never admit they've been duped.  honesty (even with themselves) is not a neoCONNED strong suit.\n\nPPS.  just so you know... i do understand your frustration and disappointment with that majority, how long it took for them to recognize the neoCON job.