In a quandary

 I have many friends that live in the United States, that I don't get to see nearly enough, but we normally manage to get across the Atlantic at least once a year.  However, looking forward to 2011, I'm having serious doubts about wanting to go there.  I've never had a particularly warm and fuzzy time with US customs, who seem to be chosen by having any vestigial ability to smile surgically removed.  I have had an unfortunate experience with US customs due to not realising that a lead crystal paperweight I was carrying as a wedding present would show up opaque on x-ray (what large metal object?).  But media reports seem to be indicating that they're not only unpleasant to suspicious foreigners from socialist countries entering, but also that they've now ramped up harassment to ANY air traveller.

Now of course, I'm not in the USA and haven't really asked if any of my friends have had any experience of the TSA acting megalomaniacally - but plenty of US friends seem to have pasted TSA horror stories into Facebook.  And now I hear that laptops are being confiscated because customs officers don't like the data on them?  Since when were customs officials allowed to go rooting through data directories on your laptop?  Not that I have anything that I can think of being construed as illegal or iffy - but then, it might be the lead crystal paperweight all over again...

So, a storm in a teacup, or an infringement of personal rights that's too much of an indignity to suffer?  Guys, your nation was founded on individual liberties, yet you seem to be allowing your government to frighten you into compliance and given the pugnacious attitude that they seem to have with so much of the world - I'm quite scared!  Opinions and observations would be much appreciated - should this curtail my travelling to the US so much?  I have a hell of a lot of the rest of the world to explore with my vacation time...