I am here to convince people. I don't think the chances are good, but I give it a shot. I think that the massive fear of terrorism is the worst consequence of 9/11 in this country, and that it has caused us to damage ourselves far more than the terrorists themselves could ever hope to accomplish. I try to do my bit to roll back that opinion when the occasion arises.

There's a thin line between "this guy is a scumbag because he's part of al Qaeda" and "this guy is a scumbag because he's a Republican." This is why we have due process. Or rather, why we're supposed to have it, even though we've given up on it for al Qaeda, or for people we think are related.