I had a conversation about the Patriot Act a while back with a friend. I was worried that the government was going in the wrong way, that over time they would continue to erode the laws that protect U.S. citizens from unreasonable search and seizure. He adamantly maintained that it was nothing like that, that the immediate need overrode any concern about loss of privacy, and that nothing would come of it... and who would be worried besides a terrorist? Well, it is getting worse. Congress just approved a bill that broadened the "financial institutions" that the FBI could subpoena business documents from without judicial review. And what's worse, is that they did it in secret.