[BluffTHIS!]

Why not much outrage?

1) As Riddick pointed out in another thread, the Bush bashing complaints of this becoming a facist state are grossly exaggerated. While we do have more governmental intrusion as a result of 9/11, the appropriate benchmark of our rights is now compared to pre-9/11, not now compared to anarchy. And I as pointed out in another thread, we in the US have much less governmental intrusion and secrecy than Britain has had for decades under the Official Secrets Act, and they aren't goosestepping yet.

2) In judging how much governmental intrusion and surveillance is justified, what is important is not the increased probability that any one of us indivudually might be harmed, but that the US might suffer even 1 more such large attack. A risk of an attack that might still be fairly small without the Patriot Act, still entails a very large consequence if it does occur, and thus demands more be done to prevent it.

3) Also as I said in another thread, these are temporary measures and there is absolutely no justification other than fear-mongering and Bush-bashing, to argue "slippery slope". We have very effective legislative, judicial and constitutional remedies if the government should be perceived by a majority to have gone too far.

4) All civilian citizens are also soldiers for our country in the war on terror. We have to give up some things, both in order to prevent further attacks on our homeland, and in order that our troops and intelligence agents in the field might have the best available intelligence. And they need our moral support and unity as well. The long term view being able to tell the forest from the trees is what is needed. We shouldn't just be fair weather soldiers. If we refuse to make the required sacrifices at home, we are equivalent to someone who endangers the lives of his neighbors by refusing to maintain a blackout during an air raid, selfishly insisting that it is too much an intrusion on his rights not to be able to keep his lights on, when only a relatively painless and temporary sacrifice is asked.

5) There is also a political element to this as well of course. Since the democrats and libs have such an anti-Bush agenda that they are willing to distort and exaggerate, i.e. to make mountains out of molehills, they are just preceived by the public as the boy who cried wolf one too many times. Which is a shame since a legitimate complaint could fall on deaf public ears as a result.