“A nation in which liberties are systematically abused – in which limitations on state power are ignored without consequence – is one which gives rise to a climate of fear. This climate of fear, in turn, leads citizens to refrain from exercising their political rights, because they know the government can act against them without real constraints. This morning, the New York Times reports on the US government’s practice of targeting US dissidents – or those whom it believes to be engaging in dissent – with extremely invasive border searches, including seizing (and sometimes keeping for months) their laptops and other electronic data, all without any warrants.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/04/us-constitution-and-civil-liberties