[T]he rise of most dictatorship in history has justified itself upon saving the country in "emergency."
HOOVER, HERBERT, The Challenge to Liberty, Chapter V, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1934The problem is that, in moving toward a national security state, we’re moving toward a Kafkaesque universe in which the mere suspicion that someone may be a terrorist means that he is then presumed to be one and is treated like one. This inverts the presumption of innocence that is at the heart of our criminal justice system. Though, most of us are unlikely to be subject to this prejudicial treatment, many - or any - of us could be. Even in peaceful times, the definition of terrorism is political, problematic, and open to abuse.
PITTS, CHIP; HOLMES, JENNIFER, Liberty vs. PATRIOTism, Liberty, May 2002Since 1933, the United States has been in a state of declared national emergency...A majority of the people of the United States have lived all their lives under emergency rule. For 40 years [now 65 years], freedoms and governmental procedures guaranteed by the Constitution have in varying degrees been abridged by laws brought into force by states of national emergency.
UNITED STATES SENATE Report 93-549