An NYT article this morning details some of the wasteful and ridiculous ways Homeland Security has been used to "monitor" spy on Occupy activities in 2011 and 2012, and how people writing on "social media" are subject to Federal scrutiny...including people helping others with credit card debt, and people speaking against "retail" businesses...I'm thinking McDonalds here.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Federal HS Centers in various locations around the US are being used to spy on US, the evil liberals and progressives...and consumer activists, environmentalists, and evidently anyone who seems unhappy with some aspect of American life. This organization was established to seek out terrorists - evil foreign bombers and such - after 9-11 - and prevent their activities in the US.
The HSA and the "Patriot Act" have taken many of our constitutional rights and have yielded almost nothing in return, according to the article, and are now "monitoring" our own people acting like American citizens.
I may be biased, but I did not see any references to right wingers, tea baggers, "militias" or other ACTUAL terrorists who happen to be Americans.
I guess we Liberals are easier-and unarmed- targets.