> Sometimes I think that politicians wait for a time when weighty things are on the table to erode our rights. The USA PATRIOT act was pretty much written and

> Sometimes I think that politicians wait for a time when weighty things are on the table to erode our rights. The USA PATRIOT act was pretty much written and ready to go when the 9/11 attacks occurred, and would have been impassable without some sort of disaster. Politicians absolutely are prepared to take advantage of opportunities, including to erode civil liberties if that’s their bent.