"It fundamentally changes the relationship between people and state." is the most ironclad argument I've heard. Albeit a bit of a cliché these days.
There's some advantage to the tin foil hat, too. It's probably fine for now if you're not Muslim, but if you are then your associations and visited websites could be used to put you somewhere very uncomfortable without a trial. Say if libertarians or socialists or christian conservatives started carrying out attacks, your political and personal affiliations could make life very uncomfortable.
Maybe you're being subtle, i agree with your point.
>> christian conservatives started carrying out attacks
The Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta was such a thing, the KKK and anti-abortion terrorism is supposedly radicalized Christian.
But because The Establishment is generally Conservative Christian, it's treated differently. I wish we could drop the affiliation and just call them Radicalized people. I'd hate to be associated with Radical Atheists if ever a violent act of terrorism was performed by non-believers.
>> libertarians or socialists
Occupy? Though Guy (the face of Occupy/Anon) was a Catholic.
I believe that many different groups including vegans, conservative Christians, extreme right-libertarian militia organisations and various anarchist/communist groups have carried out attacks that have been characterised as terrorist in the past - and therefore that they could plausibly carry out attacks again, implicating 'fellow travelers' as they did so. I'm not sure about Occupy I'm afraid, as it didn't really take off in the UK.
I also think that the general demographics of the people who make up the establishment are pretty important when you consider who ends up being imprisoned without trial.
I think that we understand each other, but you've added some interesting points and examples that I hadn't thought of.
There's some advantage to the tin foil hat, too. It's probably fine for now if you're not Muslim, but if you are then your associations and visited websites could be used to put you somewhere very uncomfortable without a trial. Say if libertarians or socialists or christian conservatives started carrying out attacks, your political and personal affiliations could make life very uncomfortable.