I can hear him now telling the server admin to remove the website surfing filters from his machine. LOL! <a href="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory/1433221">Ashcroft loosens leash on FBI</a> "Agents can scour Web, documents to hunt terrorists" So, what do you think. If some of our civil liberties like privacy get diluted, do the Terrorist Win! Or is that overstated and the FBI always needed more freedom. My minor take on this is that the recent FBI memos warning about terrorists in flight schools is proof that the FBI and CIA is doing a stellar job under status quo respect to civil liberties. They just need to improve their internal communication. Anyway, it is just a minor take from me. I generally side with the Executive Branch on things of National Security as important as this, and trust the Judicial Branch to cut them at the knees, if they get out of line. The sky is not falling.
As a general rule, I'm opposed to just about everything that Cheney does. However, from what the guidelines described in the article, I don't see anything wrong with them. I am actually a bit surprised that they were not allowed to do these things before. But all this gives me pause: what exactly were the transgressions they engaged in that justified the creation of these rules in the first place? I wasn't reading the news back then.
I would like to say that I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the FBI as an organization, and FBI agents as individuals. Also, God bless President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
