Terrorism has been practiced throughout history and throughout the world. The ancient Greek historian Xenophon (c. 431-c. 350 BC) wrote of the effectiveness of psychological warfare against enemy populations. Roman emperors such as Tiberius (reigned AD 1437) and Caligula (reined AD 37-41) used banishment, expropriation of property, and execution as means to discourage opposition to their rule. The Spanish Inquisition used arbitrary arrest, torture, and execution to punish what it viewed as religious heresy. The use of terror was openly advocated by Robes Pierre as a means of encouraging revolutionary virtue during the French Revolution, leading to the period of his political dominance called the Reign of Terror (1793-94). In the latter half of the 19th century, terrorism was adopted by adherents of anarchism in Western Europe, Russia, and the United States. They believed that the best way to effect revolutionary political and social change was to assassinate persons in positions of power. From 1865 to 1905 a number of kings, presidents, prime ministers, and other government officials were killed by anarchists' guns or bombs.... The USA Patriot Act unfortunately has eliminated several of the checks and balances which keep law enforcement authorities from committing the same errors in the interest of National Security. Although these measures have prevented another attack on US soil for the last three years, we are quickly approaching a point where the rights guaranteed by the US Constitution are in serious jeopardy of being revoked permanently. These steps, while honorable in their application, are bringing America closer to becoming a police state and unless the American People awake, we may find ourselves moving closer to the type of society that produces such driven terrorists in the first place.

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