SMOS, your post is full of 1/2 truths. We did, indeed, support the Mujahadeen against the Soviets, in Afganistan, but never Bin Laden, directly. He is a multi-millionaire, and was never in need of our funding.

A case could be made that the members of the future Taliban had once been Muj, and received US support. Most of our support went to 2 factions: Hekmatyer(?), a duplictious, Chiang Kai-Shek like Pashtun, and the "Lion of Pashmir", Ahmad Shah Massoud, an ethnic Tadzhik, whose reputation was brilliance personified. He was assassinated by Al Queda 9/09/01, two days before our own 9/11, in a deal struck betwwen the Taliban and Osama, for sanctuary. Hekmaktayer(?) eventually struck his own amnesty deal with the Taliban to save his own, cowardly hide.

As for the "Patriot Act", I'll not debate it's worthiness, as I'm not a fan of the Act, by any stretch of the imagination. If nothing else, it should remind us of the dangers of acting in rash haste, after a tragedy befalls us. I've posted on numerous occassions about its potential misuse against American citizens, for non-terrorist related activites, and some of these have already come to pass. Far as I'm concerned, this travesty of a legislative act, should just lapse into oblivion.

Lest I be accused of being too conciliatory, Your signature statement is a bit of a stretch. I believe I shall counter with one equally as ridiculous; "If you love being a stoned, under-achieving slacker tokin' weed in our National Parks, Preserves, and the "Environment", then, wow, Dude, Kerry is da bomb!"

PS. Ah, Henri', beat me to the punch, you scalawag, you!