Patrick Henry Rolls Over in His Grave

In my little paper this morning there was an op-ed by Cal Thomas. I can't link it so I'll quote the part that enraged me:

"Some senators expressed concern about damage to civil liberties. But civil liberties mean nothing if you're killed by a terrorist who has manipulated the Constitution to achieve his or her objectives."

OK - first off, the only person manipulating the Constitution is the President (and his faithful sidekicks).

Secondly, our country was FOUNDED to protect civil liberties. Please, Mr. Thomas, tell all the men who fought, bled and died during the American Revolution and that it wasn't worth it. Tell the men and women who died during the Civil War that granting civil liberties to the slaves was not worth their blood. Tell all the men and women who stopped Hitler that they wasted their time.

If Civil Liberties aren't worth dying for what is? If our Constitution is not worth defending what is? If we give up who we are and what we believe in to defeat terrorism haven't the terrorists already won?