Former Georgia representative Bob Barr (who was one of the few consistent civil libertarians in either party while he was in Congress) writes here about the controversy over federal surveillance.

It’s a good article and I particularly like the fact that he reveals the division in Washington between “trust the State” types ( including both Democrats and Republicans) and the  “we don’t trust the State” types (including Democrats and Republicans too). Maybe this presages a political realignment, with a Trust Big Government Party (committed to spying on you, dictating your medical care to you, controlling education for your children, investing capital wherever politicians think it should be invested, etc.) and a Leave Us Alone Party (committed to whittling the government back to its constitutionally authorized functions).