I am concerned about the future of civil liberties in the western world.

Clearly, to many, the message from the events of the day will be that it is worth further impinging on civil liberties for reasons of security. Suddenly there are more reasons for security organizations to be more suspicious than ever. Osama bin Laden is the prime suspect, without any solid evidence pointing to his involvement yet. It is easy to see this suspicion recklessly extended to the Taliban, Afghans, Arabs, Muslims, dark-skinned people with beards, airline passengers, owners of knives. According to this article on CNN, there is evidence that the hijackers used knives as weapons. I am sure that broken half-litre wine bottles could be as efficient in the hands of determined people. Is it then possible to employ protective measures against similar events without creating a suppressive state?