perfidy

That some government entities are using their police powers in ways not envisioned by the authors of the Patriot act. Of course they are using that authority against non terrorists. Just as the RICO statutes were used to persecute people who weren't racketeers. And a thousand other examples. There is a certain set of activities that are obviously criminal. Killing, stealing, etc. There is some value in breaking down a category of crime - fraud, counterfeiting, false advertising, insider trading, etc. But there is no sense in making terrorism a crime. I apply the same logic that I apply to hate crimes. Did you kill someone? Well, that's murder. Intent is necessary to prove murder - but what kind of intent shouldn't matter. We already have crimes for these things. Leave it be. Our police agencies are more than capable of tracking down criminals inside the United States, and they don't need new powers to do so. 

The Supreme court has ruled that the police have no obligation to protect us. They investigate, and prosecute after the fact. They also serve a deterrent function. They do, and certainly should, try to foil criminal plots. They should share information with the public (the general militia) so that we can more capably provide for our own defense, which is our responsibility as free citizens. 

The only changes I would have made in the wake of 9/11 would have been to take the leash off our foreign intelligence apparatus. The homeland security department is ridiculous. Restrictions on our freedoms to protect our freedom is ridiculous. Taking out terrorists overseas with hellfire missiles before they can do us harm is logical. Homeland security starts with putting the fear of god into those who would harm us, not by giving the FBI and the entire alphabet soup of federal agencies the power to violate my privacy and civil liberties.