The latest outrage is news that the Federal government has been quietly analyzing the behavior of Americans to determine their terror ratings. The terrorism risk assessments are being whipped up in an unmarked, two-story building in Northern Virginia, according to Associated Press.

Welcome to Bush's America, where the government doesn't give a damn about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights or democratic rule. Welcome to a society that cares more about celebrity marriages than the gradual but steady erosion of the rights and freedoms that separate us from Saddam's shithole and the totalitarian regimes that World War II veterans risked their lives to exterminate.

Welcome to a country that elects a chief executive whose only qualifications are his last name and an aw-shucks personality, the guy you want to have a beer with, a guy who is not intellectually curious and, according to Bob Woodward's State of Denial, relies on the advice of a certified war criminal (Henry Kissenger) in prosecuting the disgraceful war in Iraq, where almost 3,000 Americans have lost their lives so that George W. Bush could one-up his father and go down in history as a war president.

If you let the family dog take over the sofa, then the sofa smells like a doggy. If you let your 15-year-old kid take over the house, then the house turns into a college dormitory. If you allow George W. Bush guardianship over the U.S. Constitution, you are assigned a terrorism risk assessment without your knowledge.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that Americans and foreigners crossing U.S. borders since 2002 have been assessed by the Homeland Security Department's computerized Automated Targeting System, or ATS.

The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments, which the government intends to keep on file for 40 years. Some or all data in the system can be shared with state, local and foreign governments for use in hiring, contracting and licensing decisions. Courts and even some private contractors can obtain some of the data under certain circumstances.

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And on Friday as the normal daily flow of a million or more people entered the United States by air, sea and land, the ATS program's computers continued their silent scrutiny. At that Virginia building with no sign, the managers of the National Targeting Center allowed an Associated Press photographer to briefly roam their work space.

But he couldn't reveal the building's exact location. None of the dozens of workers under the bright fluorescent lights could be named. Some could not be photographed.

The only clue he might have entered a government building was a montage of photos in the reception area of President Bush's visit to the center. But there was only one guard and a sign-in book.

Inside, red digital clocks on the walls showed the time in Istanbul, Baghdad, Islamabad, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney. Although billboard-size video screens on the walls showed multiple cable news shows, there was little noise in the basketball-court-sized main workroom. Each desk had dual computer screens and earphones to hear the video soundtrack. Conferences were held in smaller workrooms divided by glass walls from the windowless main room.

Round the clock, the targeters from Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection agency analyze information from multiple sources, not just ATS. They compare names to terrorist watch lists and mine the Treasury Enforcement Communications System and other automated systems that bring data about cargo, travelers and commercial workers entering or leaving the 317 U.S. ports, searching for suspicious people and cargo.

Almost every person entering and leaving the United States by air, sea or land is assessed based on ATS' analysis of their travel records and other data, including items such as where they are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor vehicle records, past one-way travel, seating preference and what kind of meal they ordered.

Government officials could not say whether ATS has apprehended any terrorists. Based on all the information available to them, federal agents turn back about 45 foreign criminals a day at U.S. borders, according to Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection spokesman Bill Anthony. He could not say how many were spotted by ATS.

Officials described how the system works: applying rules learned from experience with the activities and characteristics of terrorists and criminals to the traveler data. But they would not describe in detail the format in which border agents see the results or in which the databases store the results of the ATS risk assessments.

Who is a terrorist? Back in the 1980's the Reagan administration took Saddam Hussein off the official terrorist list even though he was using chemical weapons against civilians. The Reagan administration classified Nelson Mandela's African National Congress a terrorist entity while the Apartheid government of South Africa was a close ally. These days, any programs officially designed to stop terror will be enacted. Let God sort out the rough edges.