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I'm terrified of this act. Is it some noble ideal of civil rights for terrorists? Am I a raving, East coast, tree-hugging, lobster-liberating liberal? Am I a survivalist hoarding my flour, rice, and batteries? No. I'm none of those things.

This act and the provisions in it could come knocking on my door one day. Spirited away at night, without access to my family and lawyer, I would be imprisoned for an indefinite length of time. One day to many years. No one would see the evidence (if any) against me. There would be no one to argue my innocence. Any evidence would be sheltered under the umbrella of "national security" (meaning secrecy). There would be no judge to oversee the balance of justice. Without my lawyer's vigilance any and all ethical and judicial violations against me would be given free rein.

With no evidence, no attorney, no family, no media oversight, I would be a lone woman in the darkness, fighting futilely against a behemoth. The steam roller of the US government would lumber along and I would be just one of the forgotten, overlooked 'terrorists'.

Am I a terrorist? Hardly. But the provisions of this act, could simply brand me as one and at that point, I have lost all protections given under our Constitution. Even writing this article makes me wonder: will there be a knock on my door, with men in dark suits, laconic and pedantic? Am I opening myself up to a review of the watchers?

An old Latin phrase says, "But who will watch the watchers?" Apparently, no one.

Learn more about this author, Celeste Faris.
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