In the particular case of the no-fly list, this is compiled from the various intelligence agencies. While I trust they are identifying potential threats, I am unsure of the methodology or that basic civil liberty protections are afforded to those identified. Thus I want to verify.

To rephrase; It is easier to trust that intelligence agencies are acting in a protective capacity. Verification is needed because it is inherently harder to discern whether the “Ends” either “Do” or “Don’t” justify the means. Also, agencies whose scope is to deter terrorism sometimes suffer from myopia and need outside forces to serve as a check.

At any rate, three words “trust – but – verify” rarely do justice to nuance.

First, quit the extreme language. Statements like “they use women and children to carry out their Jihad!” does not make for rational, prudent decision making. The points isn’t about reasoning a terrorist out of a terrorist act. It’s about passing reasonable, consistent legislation.

You could make the argument that this is only a minor piece of legislation targeting a select number of individuals so minute in number that its impact on the general population is insignificant. But you didn’t. You got all emotional, Crusade-like on us.

Also, are you paralleling America’s effort to combat global terrorism to the Civil War? These are two fundamentally different struggles. The Civil War had a foreseeable end – the defeat of the Confederate Army and the preservation of the United States as a single, unified state. The “war on terror” has no foreseeable end and is a much more nebulous fight. Legislative or Executive actions must keep this distinction in mind anytime that seek to do something extraordinary, such as bypassing Due Process.

Your point about due process is well taken with this proposed bill, which is why it has no chance of passing. But the due process criticism is not well taken with airport security. If you have been through an airport in the past several years, you know that TSA security is not required to respect due process like in other aspects.

Q. How do you know it is out of 6.8 Billion? How do you know it isn’t largely Americans?

Q. They claim 400,000 people are on the list but have 1 million names… They could literally just make it up and the public has little recourse. I believe the axiom, Trust But Verify. Can you verify?

Q. What is the metric used to assign people to this risk category? Does this violate the Constitutional protection of Due Process?

You don’t ever know exactly. That is the problem with secret programs. Public scrutiny is very important to keeping institutions honest. Good intentions can become jaded very quickly – like torture of detainee’s which violated jus cogens.