Oops, misunderstood. Glad we agree ;-) As to the use of WMD on non-violent dissenters: How dangerous is pepper spray?: http://t.co/TRbmR8Ov (Dutch studies show that pepper spray helped to subdue aggressive suspects, but when it was used against those who were already peaceful – like the students at UC Davis – it made them aggressive. If the Dutch findings are right, police officers wading into a peaceful protest and spraying people are more likely to cause violence than to stop it; use of pepper spray in these kinds of situations isn't just excessive and unfair, but also stupid.) Pepper spray and cocaine, a little known lethal combination: http://t.co/q4odbhlI

@Rob in CT "wildly overblown" is another way of saying: no credible threat! Was there any actual threat to our existence? Absolutely not, not today: http://www.salon.com/2011/11/23/what_endless_war_looks_like/singleton/ and certainly not in 2001: http://contusio-cordis.blogspot.com/2009/11/what-is-fair-and-balanced.html (scroll down to the part on the WoT)

In one sentence -"There was no credible threat, only a perceived one."- we have the essence of the War of Terror being forced upon us.

So, everybody wants to use the road to drive on, schools to educate their kids, soldiers to fight some ridiculous war, hospitals to admit them in case of medical problems, et cetera, but nobody wants to pay for all that. In case you did not notice, the US is falling apart because of this insane, and almost religious, obsession with not-paying-taxes.

My view of journalism (similar to yours) can be found here: http://contusio-cordis.blogspot.com/2011/01/facts-are-overrated-anyway.html With the current job description maybe some accountability for willfully spreading misleading, if not false, stories may help, see http://contusio-cordis.blogspot.com/2010/11/freedom-of-speech-clarification.html eventhough that article is not entirely applicable to the media.