Before The Patriot Act came into effect. Law enforcement could go after the mob but were not able to go after terrorist. Now they can. Of course you have to get a search warrant before you do all this. Wouldn't it be nice to catch a child molestor this way!? With a search warrant of course.
how about catching a thief who steals my hard earned money? Or a thug who beats up old women?
Where do you draw the line? Why not have a police state so we all can be "safe"?
Excellent example.
The law passed to fight organized crime was the RICO act. It was broad in scope but its proponets said it was sorely needed and would only to be used against mob bosses.
It was later used against abortion protesters (SURPRISE!), and today is routinely used against suspects that have nothing to do with organized crime. RICO is rivaled only by seatbelt laws as the clearest textbook case example of mission creep and incrementalism.
And now the RICO act is being used as an example of why government should have yet more power?