Monday, March 19, 2007

In today's Chicago Sun-Times, readers were offered different sides to a differing debate. On one side was Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. On the other side was Sun-Times columnist Mary Laney.

Mr. Romero's article, Congress must stop administration's abuses, is largely a partisan piece admonishing the Bush administration for so-called abuses of the Patriot Act. In his article, he sites examples that while may be considered suspect, is nothing that an overwhelming majority of Americans have considered necessary to keep this nation safe from terrorists here and abroad.

Again, I'm not disputing the facts that Mr. Romero has eloquently expressed. However, as we continue to fight Islamofacism, many of us have grown weary of the ACLU and it's perceived anti-American bias. Of course, the ACLU has stood for many good things. But this article is just another in a clear campaign to distort who exactly we are fighting.

The other article, All the fuss about fired U.S. attorneys is just a partisan ploy, sounds as if it's also a partisan piece. However, upon closer inspection, it's actually not only fair, but it's topical. In this, the sixth year following 9/11, most Americans care far more about keeping our families safe than the political points won by the liberals over George W. Bush.

It's a shame that both sides have had to turn to attacks to win the day. Unfortunately, we have learned the hard way that taking the high road is impossible when there are skeletons in the closet. The media seems so fixated on destroying society, that we can no longer utilize intelligent debate, or critical thought. If it doesn't have a good sound bite, it doesn't make the 11:00 news.

Mr. Romero's article plays well for the soundbite crowd. Unfortunately, it's just more of the same old mantras that we've heard ad nauseam.

On the other hand, Ms. Laney's article doesn't sit back and blame everything on the left. However, she simply states that the left is making a lot of noise about something that is not only an issue in which our elected officials were elected to deal with, but she is also critical over the fact that these so-called "abuses" were even more rampant during the preceding administration. Of course, when William Jefferson Clinton was President, no one from the ACLU made a peep.

Isn't it about time the country stops attacking itself and starts fighting the real bad guys? You know, the ones who weren't elected by anyone but their guns and Imams.

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