Can American civil liberties survive another terrorist attack?

[Bragi]

The erosion in American civil liberties brought about by the reaction to 9/11, and the passive acquiescence of most Americans to the Bush-lead erosion of their rights, has been truly stunning.

So what will happen if/when terrorists successfully mount another attack on American soil?

What reason is there to expect anything other than the total and rapid conversion of the US into a full-fledged police state?

Is there some countervailing force strong enough to prevent the Cheneyites etc. from putting America into total lockdown?

- B

[NMDemDist2]

1. it could

but probably won't...

[Lerkfish]

2. they didn't survive the last one

[Hand]

3. Dang! Ya beat me to it! nt

[ixion]

4. yep, exactly. They're all pretty much in the gutter now

:-(

[mmonk]

5. They didn't survive the first intact.

More would be eliminated in a second.

[Vanje]

6. I dont think they survived the first attacks.-----nt

[JHB]

7. A terrorist attack they can survive...

...the ensuing attack by the "be the Top Rat" crowd? Much less certain.

[billyoc]

8. What the hell else is left to do? I can be searched at any time for no reason.

What's left, unplugging the internet, Burma-style?! :grr:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

9. I'm not sure they'll survive without one. It might take one "attack" to

finally get people stirred up enough to realize what's happened to them and demand they be restored.

[Bragi]

10. Rights were weakened, but not eliminated...

I can't agree with those who say civil liberties all disappeared due to 9/11.

In fact, liberties took a shit kicking from Bush, but they didn't disappear entirely, since the basic right to political dissent, for example, did survive the tragedy of 9/12. (If it hadn't, DU and othjer outlets for political speech and dissent wouldn't exist.)

But I wonder about next time. Theer's nothing I can see that suggests to me that another attack won't result in the imposition of a full-fledged police state in America.

- B

[liberal N proud]

11. The bu$h regime and neocons hope not

[aquart]

12. It wasn't the attack from the terrorists. Lots of nations have that.

It was the attack from the fascists that eroded our civil liberties. Don't lump them together.

One attack is pretty awful. Two is not nice. Three or four? Boring.

TERRORISM IS NOT OUR PROBLEM. THE FUCKING CLIMATE IS OUR PROBLEM. THAT'S WHAT WILL KILL US.

Stop pretending that terrorism is anything but an annoying distraction. It's unimportant. No terrorist ever destroyed a city.