We’ve been talking a lot about fusion centers, state and local programs to gather domestic intelligence, and the privacy and civil liberty problems associated with them. One of the biggest problems is the lack of oversight of the centers.

The ACLU, a Liberty Coalition partner, testified on March 18 before before a House subcommittee about the strong need for oversight in intelligence gathering and dissemination at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"It is patently false that the more information we have, the more secure we are," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "Unfortunately, DHS has been over-zealous in its information gathering and innocent Americans have been caught in the web of suspicion. From its involvement in the surveillance of Maryland peace groups to intrusive laptop searches at the border, DHS seems to see every American as a potential criminal. DHS cannot continue to vacuum up benign intelligence."