You probably wonder where all that Homeland Security funding is going, since it's not going to secure our ports or the cargo holds of airplanes. Well, here's an example of your tax dollars in action: An innocent author, researching a novel, is raided by the feds.
Recently an author has come forward to describe her experience of the Patriot Act. She was researching a novel with a plot about the theft of antiquities financing terrorism. She used the Internet and her local library to find research material. Then in the middle of the night, her home was invaded by federal agents. She was confined for hours and her computer and other material was confiscated.
Here's a link to an interview with the author. (Scroll down to the item "Patriot Act Hits Close to Home".)
http://home.insightbb.com/~d.lawson/Jungle_Beat.htm#Patriot%20Act%20Hits%20Close%20to%20Home
If the feds are going to decide everyone doing Internet research on terrorists is a security risk, they're going to be arresting professors, librarians, investigative reporters, and novelists. None of these are likely to be involved in terrorist acts-- but I guess they're a whole lot easier to find than Osama Bin Laden.
Has anyone heard about other federal action against writers and researchers?