What is happening?

Over the past several years and especially over the past several months it seems that the "crisis mode" has reached a fever pitch. It also seems that the powers that be would have it remain that way, so they can ramrod whatever ridiculous legislation through the houses of congress unnoticed. Is there anyone else who is wondering that while all major news coverage is devoted to the swine flu, what must the CIA be up to? What leader of what country are they presently overthrowing?

Point is, things happen so fast that we often don't know what we've ended up with until its too late. I mean how many pieces of legislation have been reversed lately. They seem to just get piled on. So we have a thing called the Patriot Act that allows whatever government agency to do just about anything they want to without regard to the rule of law. There was recently a story that really made it hit home for me lately. The FBI took a 16 year old from his home late at night and his parents haven't heard much from him since. The local news affiliate story is linked below.

Obviously we are only getting the mother's side of the story, but my complaint with this as with all individuals being held on suspicion of crimes committed is this: either charge them formally and allow the due process to take place, or let them go. Guantanamo is full of people that have never been charged. Are they terrorists if we can't even charge them with a crime? Is a 16 year old a threat to national security....well, let's charge him and allow some habeas corpus, right? All of these people are in limbo against there will and on the taxpayers buck no less. The worst part is there is nothing anyone can do because the goon squad is above the law (how did that happen?!!) I just wish someone would read the Constitution once in a while. It's amazing how free we should be.