What has government done with civil liberties?

In my mind, the last ten years has seen a fundamental
challenge of civil liberties with the passage of the Patriot Act.  Life since the
Patriot Act has consisted of a balancing act between understanding the need to be
vigilant, but also the need to recognize that civil liberties and security are not
mutually exclusive.  The passage of the Patriot Act, in its own right, took away basic
civil liberties by increasing governmental control and authority into realms previously
deemed as private.  The increase in government control and authority in the name of
preserving security has led to civil liberties being challenged and, to a certain
extent, threatened.  I think that this is where government currently is with civil
liberties.  It is seeking to understand how it can maintain security and gain
intelligence without sacrificing the privacy of its citizens.  In the last five years,
greater awareness of this balance has become more prevalent.  In my mind, this is
different from the mindset that was present when the Patriot Act was passed, when many
argued that individual liberties need to be sacrificed for the "greater good" of
security.