Orwellian, no. Totalitarian, no. But very unethical and illegal, absolutely. Most of these extra security measures are only security theater, and they barely do anything. I could figure out ten different ways to sneak into the country, and a bunch of official checkpoints and procedures isn't gonna stop me.

Netiher are the warrantless wiretaps. more than likely terrorist groups have been fully aware and are using other means to communicate by now, given the great amount of publicity. That and the idea of a government spying on its own people is just abhorrent. In war it's valid, but this "war on terror" isn't a war. It's a diplomatic and military endeavor, and it can't be resolved with weapons. There is no clear enemy. There is no battlefield. There is no home front. The label of "war" is just that, a label for something that doesn ot follow the military defenition of "war." As was said in a great movie, V For Vendetta, "Behind the mask there is an idea, and ideas are bulletproof."

The only purpose for this war is control, plain and simple. This war is bound to last a while, giving Bush the excuse to keep and expand upon spying programs which were meant for temporary heated conflicts like World War II. No rational person can see this as fightable or even winnable.