You may have heard about Patriot Act II, dubbed "Son of Patriot Act" by its critics, which was shelved after the public outcry that it caused once it became public.  This was about one year ago, but Patriot Act II isn't dead.  In fact, its supporters are sneaking provisions from the shelved legislation into other laws in order to surreptitiously get them signed into law before anyone notices.  So, piece by piece, Patriot Act II is becoming law, further eroding our civil liberties and rapidly making America a police state.

You can see some of the details of this plot in this article from Wired News.