Fact or Fiction

I'm feeling a little frusterated with the way that information is passed out in this country. It is so hard to sift through the various sources and find what is actually the truth. Often, I feel the best that I can do is to find opposing viewpoints, compare the sources they mention, and then make a guess.

For instance, there is this whole "Domestic Spying" uproar going on right now. I myself was upset when it came out. There is a huge risk to civil liberties, should this power be abused. But it does seem like it would come in handy for finding terrorists. And, as I listen to the debate, I wonder if President Bush might not be within his rights after all. But my frusteration is partly that there doesn't seem to be many "pro" stories - just stories about how terrible that it is. Worse, the first stories that I heard seemed to indicate that the President's "spying" was on regular citizens - I heard nothing about terrorists in the first reports. It was "domestic spying" rather than "wiretaps for national security in dealing with the Al Qaeda threat." That's a big difference to me. I don't mind the President authorizing people to listen in on Al Qaeda, in fact, I think that's probably a good idea, regardless of their citizenship or location.

The sensational slants that are often applied don't help matters any at all, and frankly, are just irritating. Just report the facts, OK? I'd like to be able to make up my own mind.

Articles on Wiretapping
Wikipedia: Wiretapping
NPR: Domestic Spying coverage
WAVY-TV:Bush has authorized NSA to spy on Americans
CNN.com: Bush: Secret wiretaps won't stop
MSNBC: Secret court judges to be briefed on spying
Chicago Tribune: President had legal authority to OK taps
Detroit News: Anti-terror spying may have gone on in US
Washington Post- Letters to the Editor: Battle over Domestic Spying