charlie's Journal: Why I probably won't be visiting the USA next year

Michael Ratner had this to say in Counterpunch about the current anti-terrorism laws being pushed through in the US.

If these measures go through, I probably won't be visiting the USA again any time soon. As a non-citizen, every single one of these measures could be applied to me, for any reason or no reason at all. Would you visit some Ruritanian backwater where the government had explicitly said that foreigners could be arrested, held indefinitely, tortured, tried by military tribunal, and executed without a judicial appeal, at the whisper of an anonymous denunciation? I have no terrorist connections or sympathies, and I don't think anyone hates me enough to lie about me to the FBI ... but I wouldn't want to risk being behind the wrong door when they come knocking.

(Hint: this isn't going to do the US tourism industry any good. Never mind what else it harms!)