WASHINGTON -- Anyone worried about the fate of civil liberties during the U.S. government's growing war on terrorism might want to consider this Latin maxim: Inter arma silent leges.
It means, In time of war the laws are silent, and it encapsulates the supremacy of security over liberty that typically accompanies national emergencies.
Consider this: During all of America's major wars -- the Civil War, World War I and World War II -- the government restricted Americans' civil liberties in the name of quelling dissent, silencing criticism of political decisions and preserving national security.