The continuing erosion of our civil rights is indeed scary. Unfortunately the courts will be left to sort out all the issues contained in the Patriot Act regarding that erosion. It will eventually come to pass as this is part of the system of checks and balances. But in the mean time, we all better watch our backs well, something I never thought I'd have to concern myself with.
The Patriot Act was passed at a time when there was no possibilty it could fail. For any congressperson to have opposed it they would have risked polital suicide.
Today it would have a much more difficult time to have made its way sucessfully through the same processes.