tedster - 2:32 am on Aug 18, 2006 (gmt 0)

The point is that as a society we have to pick a proper balance between safety and liberty.

Exactly -- and the Information Age has thrown ingredients into the stew that never before existed. Big ingredients that have very strong flavors. We have not yet resolved this issue as a society, and we need to start working on it (in fact, we have, but slowly.)

Because of the very nature of the Internet, this is an issue that transcends not only partisan politics but also national boundaries. It cuts into areas such as privileged business communications (even if encrypted), and with telephony rapidly moving from switched connections to packeted voice data over IP, we get into all kinds of new complications.

Sound bytes and one liners will not resolve the issue. I for one hope to see some statesman like brilliance -- intelligence from somewhere far beyond "politics as usual" -- brought into the arena. I do not pretend I know the answers, or even all the issues. But I can feel how huge this is (as I imagine we all can), and how immense the impact on the future of everyone's quality of life.

My hope is that everyone will continue to inform themselves, to feel beyond their preconceived ideas and patterns, and keep looking at all sides of these issues. We cannot have a sane resolution if we only come from our pre-disposed positions.

There is intelligent observation from many directions here, although often hidden behind spin and rhetoric and the "news cycle" of the moment. For example, it is clear to me that modern technology has put extreme weapons within reach of very small minorities. This needs to be addressed. It is also clear to me that there is a great paradox in the idea of surrendering freedom to protect freedom. This also needs to be addressed. It ain't easy at all.