[Asclepius]

It's the government that's conflated the two by its actions. If our rights and freedoms are subject to the whims of "adminstrative efficency", then they are being compromised, without question.

Not without question, because I have questions, in fact, I simply disagree that any rights and freedoms have been compromised.

We have a goal: more security. If in the pursuit of that goal by those we task to administer or administrate our public offices we do err, does that mean that our rights are diminished? No. It simply means that someone made a mistake, blundered, came up with a plan that didn't work etc. But what if the error seems to undermine someone's political rights?--that is not the case in this particular case, but I will entertain the question even so. I would still say no. At least not as long as we have courts and ballot boxes and other means of redress or relief.

And the duckbite "theory" was precisely the impetus behind the American Revolution. Never forget that.

Apparently I already forgot it. Please explain it to me. (I thought we fought a revolution over political issues--e.g. the preamble to the declaration of indendence enumerates them.)

[inquest]

We have a goal: more security. If in the pursuit of that goal by those we task to administer or administrate our public offices we do err, does that mean that our rights are diminished? No. It simply means that someone made a mistake, blundered, came up with a plan that didn't work etc.

You obviously didn't get my point, so I'll spell it out for you. It's not the fact that the administrators goofed that compromises our rights; it's the fact that our rights are subject to their gaffes in the first place. If they want to think this guy's a terrorist, fine. But what goes on in their minds isn't justification for them to harass him. If they want to arrest him, let them get a warrant. If they want to punish him, let them get a trial. But they've decided they no longer need to worry about such trifles. The fact that they have this kind of power over his life - and by extension all of our lives - is itself a major political-rights issue, of equal or greater magnitude to those political-rights issues that spurred the War of Independence.

At least not as long as we have courts and ballot boxes and other means of redress or relief.

You mean, like due process and that kind of stuff? Due process does not mean that government can restrict your rights, and then tell you that if you don't like it, you can go to court. Due process means that they have to go to court if they want to justify taking away your rights.