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A threat differs from the more substantial direct harm of action, usually. The N.S.A. and C.I.A. haven't recently been known to be making public threats upon American civil liberties so far as I know. The N.S.A. has been given the task of scanning e-mails incoming to the federal government in order to filter out virus's, spyware and mal-wear,m yet they have done so without making many threats. They could have the sinister ulterior purposes of searching for pornography hidden upon the databases of congress-persons possibly to provide ABC or CNN with tasty tidbits of dirt that would affect political fortunes more toward the liking of a shadow government hidden behind the veils of secrecy shielding the N.S.A. and C.I.A. from mal-ware and spy-ware surveillance by domestic and foreign intelligence agencies that may be seeking to protect the civil liberties of Americans-yet maybe not.

Spook agencies probably would never tell if they did spy on and subvert American lives in America. What if they undermined the home mortgage or banking lending practices and cause a drop in the stock market? I have no belief that federal employees become saintly when being employed, nor that the federal government hires ethical philosophers from monasteries mainly for espionage work that have spent a lifetime in a cave retreat in a Sinai wildernesses without speaking and decide to leave the mystical contemplation of the absolute spirit to hunt Al Qa'eda that may be incarcerated in New Jersey eventually along with mazes of offices workers. When Al Qa'eda detainees are brought to America along with lawyers and witnesses the C.I.A. will have little choice about following up leads domestically perhaps.

The N.S.A. could threaten civil liberties if it operates broadcast television and distributes digitally mind-dumbing programming for the people to watch and be enthralled by-perhaps intentionally distracting them from their usual intense interests in reading political philosophy and rectifying wrongs in environmental and balance of trade affairs. They would have competition from the corporate sector of course.

Of course a very powerful government 'threatens' civil liberties, but so does the proverbial Genghis Khan and the golden horde, basement nuclear bombs and penthouse bio-engineering labs making designer weapons to delete the poor from existence after their last penny has been squeezed from them and they have no worth as workers. A government with millions in standing armies,

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