During WWII - we rationed everything (practically) - do you see anything being rationed today ..??
During WWII - we had lights out at 9 pm on the west coast - and we were required to have blackout shades on our windows - do you see that requirement in place today ..??
During WWII - my dad was an air raid warden; his job was to stop any vehicle which was driving around during the air raid. He worked the street where we lived and an adjoining street. He was a citizen volunteer - do you see any of that in place today ..??
And .. nobody thought their civil liberties were being violated - while we were trying to protect ourselves against an attack.
That was a world war against global powers. There was the very real possibility that the United States would have been invaded. People didn't mind sacrificing and there was an expectation that at some point things would end and society would return to normal. The current enemy is a tiny, unseen force who's primary weapon is fear through attacks on the populace. How can the government ever claim that this enemy has been defeated if it can't even be seen? At what point do security measures get relaxed? In my opinion, the war against terror will be never ending. It's up to the citizens to make sure that government doesn't overstep the constitution in it's quest to protect the public.