Bob,

Political dissidents don't have anything to hide. So why do you suppose they have been the main targets of the types of harrassment we've been talking about in this thread, throughout US history?

There is a huge difference between working to change a democratic government democratically, and committing crimes. Why do you suppose the government intelligence and policing agencies (none of whom are elected, mind you) can't seem to tell the difference between a political activist and a criminial?

I'm with clint--the climate of nationalist furor right now is one of the dimensions which makes it so difficult to support this legislation. Those of us with experience as political activists know that the majority of people *will* behave like sheep, and will *not* defend the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens who come under attack.