Story quote: "The new Democratic majorities in Congress can block the sort of noxious measures that the Republican majority rubber-stamped. But preventing new assaults on civil liberties is not nearly enough." Political reality check: While I applaude this article and support the recommended actions it sets forth, the reality is this, Democrats have a one member majority in the Senate and a President with a veto pen that would be hostile to giving up any of this territory won in the first six years in office. Each issue should be addressed however, with the hope that enough republicans will cross party lines and in the worst case, if only for the record, so political gains can be made in the federal government to allow these atrocities to overturned after installation of a new president in 2009. Only 695 days left though!