Not a debate
Reader comment on item: [Mosque Mischief and] Counting Mosques

Submitted by Kurtlane (United States), Feb 14, 2003 at 08:51

An open and honest debate will last forever. It is going on, and it has been lasting forever.

This issue is not new, it goes back at least to Civil War. CIA and FBI have been weakened by concerned Americans, only to be strengthened again when new disasters demanded it. After the revelations of illegal CIA activity in early 70's, intelligence was in its down phase. This is why US intelligence missed 9/11.

Now too, people concerned with privacy, libertarians, leftists, moderate-looking supporters of terror (i.e. all kinds of people, good and bad) will never let this debate end. They are trying to weaken the intelligence even now. They are not powerful enough yet. Not yet. But they are trying, and always will.

But if FBI and CIA pay attention to the debate that is going on, terrorist attacks will be coming. Their need is to prevent terrorists (which is, I believe, what they are doing), rather than flutter in the wind of public opinion.

Besides, it is generally better if the only people who know about FBI leadership directions are those who need to know about them. Which makes me wonder how Newsweek found out about it. There must have been a leak. Those leaks are the real problem, a gift to terrorists. With all due respect to Newsweek, loose lips do sink ships, and blow up skyscrapers. Could they not, perhaps this time, temper their journalistic urge? For the sake of all of us?

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