There are numerous changes in PATRIOT from MATA and ATA, and it has over twice their length. It still uses the same obfuscation style of burying dozens of proposals as modifications of existing legislation, making it hard to understand what is being proposed without jigsaw puzzling the pieces into the legislation being modified to see what the whole picture will be when assembled. An underhanded method compared to Leahy's open-book bill. Creepy to read the massive shutdown planned for the Canadian border. Canada is surely to scream economic warfare at the US's pressure to close liberal immigration and civil liberty loopholes -- it doesn't look good for ZKS. What's the assessment within, Ian? To be sure, the US and its iron-maidenish allies are rushing to close loopholes around the world, and one bad effect of PATRIOT is for it to be used as a model for other countries to toe the line and consequent clampdown on security technologies. And pressure to shut Sealand, perhaps to require the Bunkers to allow rummaging the precious data. PATRIOT does just about everything Stewart Baker's Defense Science Board panel recommended for legal policy to protect US national security, in particular the sharing of domestic law enforcement, FBI, DoJ and IRS databanks with the military and the spooks and vice versa. Under the Ashcroft plan anyone can be declared by the Attorney General to be a terrorist or a supporter/advisor of terrorism and with that all civil liberities of the targets disappear. For example, those constitutional rights Tim claimed a hour ago are still in effect in the US. But not if this bill passes. I suspect insulting a cop will become quickly a terrorist's mark of Cain. Much less refusing a National Guard order at the airport. A quick addition of the misbehaver to the US Stasi databank and a lifetime investigation and harassment commences -- or if the target gets Tim-like uppity a hole in the head made by lead or enforced psychotherapy, totally approved by terrorist-drunk courts of jurisdiction. USA. USA. Remember, do not say out loud, "fuck that." Think abou it, then decide to self-suppress for a couple of years, then a couple more, then more after that. It's a long, long campaign the leaders warn, just like their predecessors said the main enemy is within.