political commentary of the day

My comments from signing the moveon.org petition to have an independent investigation of domestic wiretapping activities:

I can understand the justification of reduced civil liberties in a time of war. However, what is troubling in this situation is that our fight on terrorism is one that has no clear end.

If we can foresee an attainable definition of victory, then it would be justifiable to reduce civil liberties temporarily for the purpose of preserving our nation and what it represents.

However, in the present situation, it appears that there is no clear end to the war on terrorism. This creates a scenario where our civil liberties can become permanently suspended. If this is the case, then the terrorists would have effectively destroyed what makes our society unique.

While I do not protest the use of executive power on the grounds of being in a state of war, I do have strong objections to using this justification as a means to permanently reduce our civil liberties.