Since September 11 the world feels like a different place—a feeling that the Bush administration describes as the “New Normalcy.” In these conditions, many are urging new broader powers for law enforcement but any new initiatives must also include safeguards for our liberties.

In order to succeed at this difficult task, it is necessary to review our failings. While the government wants more information to help fight terrorism, it should own up to doing a poor job of securing sensitive information against prying by outside sources.

A case in point happened last year when just hours after the Department of Justice posted details of the Carnivore review process (the FBI’s email wiretapping system), on its Web site, computer users were able to uncover secret information about the reviewers, including their ranks and security clearances.

These flaws were not surprising given that, over the last couple of years, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has issued several reports that federal agencies are “fraught with weaknesses,” putting the nation’s assets and operations “at risk.” This shows that even after government is repeatedly warned of problems and even when it does its best to protect the data it holds, it often fails.

It’s also worth noting recent reports that every year the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues more than 100,000 fraudulent driver’s licenses to criminals who could use them to steal the identities of unsuspecting victims. Unfortunately, it appears that it is far too easy for government database systems, whether they be national I.D. systems or data collected through email wiretapping activities, to be abused by malicious criminals.

And then there are concerns about the abuse of police power.

Increased domestic surveillance is worrisome because it could in the future be used as a weapon by the government against its political enemies. Recall how Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lennon, and others were targets of illegal government surveillance. And it’s not necessary to go all the way back to the 1960s to look for government abuses of power.

In 1998, it was revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was using illegal wiretaps to monitor citizens, collect evidence illegally, and invade privacy. The number of innocent people who were illegally wiretapped is unknown, but it’s likely in the thousands.

Last week, President Bush signed new legislation called the Uniting and Strengthening America By Providing Appropriate Tools Required To Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT). Among other things, this act expands police wiretapping capabilities over email and web surfing, and brings the FBI and CIA into closer cooperation. These new powers are to be aimed at terrorists, but history tells us to be wary.

There have also been calls from Silicon Valley executives, such as Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy, for a new national I.D. card system, again with little thought to the potential risks.

Skip ahead to the future under increased surveillance using the FBI’s Carnivore system, and we could be looking at police illegally spying on World Trade Organization (WTO) opponents or the National Rifle Association (WTO), depending on which political party is in power.

The USA PATRIOT Act and national I.D. card proposals come on the heels of a tragic terrorist attack, and the nation is now fighting back. The same focus, resolve, and patience that make Americans successful in business will lead to a victory over the terrorists.

That same resolve must also be deployed to preserve our liberties. While the new normalcy will mean increased vigilance, these liberties must not be a casualty of war. The government, meanwhile, could make a stronger case for gaining more information if it did a better job of guarding the information it already has.

Examiner columnist Sally Pipes is the President and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a California-based think tank. She can be reached via email at spipes@pacificresearch.org