ANGELO CODEVILLA: The Ruling Class Consensus On Domestic Spying. “It is not speculation to expect that these powers will be used for what they are indeed useful. To recapitulate: ‘Constant Informant’ can find patterns of communication between people who are not trying to mask them, while PRISM makes everyone’s cyber activity accessible. This allows the US government to pick and choose and build cases for any reason against any person on whom it has such data. . . . The relevant question about the uses of the NSA programs, then, is simply ‘against whom, in the broad American public, is the US government likely to turn its animus?’ Alas, the ruling class has shown itself all too able to treat domestic opponents as public enemies. But that is another story.”

I might trust some people with that kind of power, though it’s doubtful. But I definitely don’t trust these people with it, since they have a demonstrated tendency to abuse the power they have.