What older people may have noticed (and younger not) is that the way governing authorities deal with OTHERS from the individual citizen to the other nation has gradually changed. While giving token lip service to the precept of "innocent until proven guilty" our "authorities" have actually moved toward a "defacto" presumption that... everyone- from the individual citizen to other global nations are to be treated as if they were guilty and a "potential threat" UNLESS ANY AND EVERY MEANS BY WHICH THEY ARE EMPOWERED IS DENIED TO THEM. Our great nation has degenerated into a fearful trembling bully who fears everyone, trusts no one, and is only comfortable and fearless among those people and nations over which it has total control and over which it has overwhelming power. We are no longer at ease among empowered people and nations, accepting others as equal, and/or respecting differences and other nations right to defend themselves EVEN AGAINST US. Every nation and person now must be utterly "disarmed" and made powerless to resist WHATEVER our authorities and nation decides ought to be their portion and fate. The rules be damned, they make the rules and no rules apply to our authorities either on the international scale nor on the individual citizen to "authority" aspect. The "authorities" have carefully laid down an escape web of legal bypasses and semantic obstacles to the enforcement of every constitutional, common law and legislative restraint and measure of accountability that has ever been imposed to limit their abuse of power.

And if you once saw how strong, confident and self-reliant American authority once walked among it's empowered individuals and even among other strong, armed nations you would feel sad for the changes that have taken place.