There has never been a more urgent need to preserve fundamental privacy protections and our system of checks and balances than the need we face today, as illegal government spying, provisions of the Patriot Act and government-sponsored torture programs transcend the bounds of law and our most treasured values in the name of national security.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, hundreds have been arrested for exercising their constitutionally protected freedom to dissent; some have lost their jobs or been suspended from school. Some government officials, including local police, have gone to extraordinary lengths to squelch dissent wherever it has sprung up, drawing on a breathtaking array of tactics -- from censorship and surveillance to detention, denial of due process and excessive force.
