Trust us: A brief history of government spying | The Daily Caller

Trust us: A brief history of government spying | The Daily Caller: "The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 were passed by a Federalist Congress during the Quasi-War with France. The Sedition Act made it illegal to criticize federal government officials, even if the criticism was true. The act was politically motivated and aimed at silencing Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party. In fact, while it was illegal to criticize Federalist officials, it was perfectly okay to slander Jefferson because the office of the vice president, which Jefferson held at the time, was omitted from the list of offices which were protected from criticism. Prominent Democratic-Republicans refused to use the postal service out of fear that their mail would be intercepted and they would be prosecuted for sedition. Fearing arrest themselves, Jefferson and James Madison wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which urged the states to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts, in secret."

"During World War II, Project SHAMROCK gave the Armed Forces Security Agency — which became the NSA — daily access to the communication records of Western Union, RCA Global, and ITT. SHAMROCK was legal during WWII, but the program did not stop when the war did, continuing until 1975. At its height, the program collected and analyzed over 150,000 messages a month with no search warrants or court oversight."

"The government expands its surveillance powers in response to crises. At first, the limits, targets, and duration of these programs are clearly defined. However, as with all government programs, as time passes these programs expand well beyond their initial objectives. While we all agree that the government should have the tools necessary to protect Americans, we should also recognize that these tools are easily abused and require transparency and tangible safeguards, not merely the promises of politicians.

Historically, Americans have held a skeptical view of government. As James Madison said, “the essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.” "