We need to stop the assault on our civil liberties that intensified after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

During the last several decades, there has been an erosion of freedom in the United States. This has come from many sources and takes many forms, including:

1. The war on drugs.

2. Widespread imprisonment of nonviolent drug offenders.

3. The increased use of personal identification.

4. Surveillance of employees at work.

5. The growing use of private security forces by corporations.

6. Restrictions on the speech of protesters and students.

7. Random traffic stops of persons of color.

8. The commonplace use of roadblocks.

Since 9/11, this erosion has turned into a collapse of our freedoms, as then President Bush authorized torture, illegal wiretapping, indefinite detention without trial, and widespread government surveillance.