It is frightening the way our rights and liberties are tossed aside in the name of national security without any debate as to the Constitutionality of those actions. In an attempt to make us safer from outside powers, we're now more exposed to dangers from within our own government. I want America to be secure because it protects its citizens from corruption and excess, both from without AND from within.

I'm afraid that the 'true' conservatives would hand over so much power to business interests that there would be no protections left for citizens against them. I don't want to be nannied by the government, but at the same time I want to be among a confederation of citizens which holds the power necessary to protect us from those that would exploit us.

As in all things, balance. If a government would have strong secure citizens, then it ~must~ protect those citizens from greed and corruption, or else that government is worse than useless.