Brian,
I will begin by saying that I have come to respect you and your strong, eloquent advocacy of your opinions. You are obviously an intelligent person, and this country could use more such people. However, having said that, I must criticize your apparent inability to appreciate the views of other intelligent, articulate people.
You really do not have a lock on the "light of truth." Some of us believe that we get to hold that light from time to time. Of course, many people who believe that they are holding the light of truth are really holding something else entirely!
I wish that you could understand that some of us -- certainly I am one -- sincerely believe that the current "security" regime is damaging the country in lots of economic ways and is a growing threat to our civil liberties as well. That is why we oppose it. Even if you believe that we are wrong, our motivation is good, and you might try to appreciate that.
Bruce