> And so—before the capability was made public, it _likely_ wouldn't
> have been used against mere political nuisances, at least not without
> the additional cost of creating a solid pretext for the resulting
> intelligence. But now this deterrent is gone: the burden of utter secrecy
> is reduced. And if these programs are not eliminated, greatly curtailed,
> or made moot, we can expect them to be employed much more freely.
> And so—before the capability was made public, it _likely_ wouldn't
> have been used against mere political nuisances, at least not without
> the additional cost of creating a solid pretext for the resulting
> intelligence. But now this deterrent is gone: the burden of utter secrecy
> is reduced. And if these programs are not eliminated, greatly curtailed,
> or made moot, we can expect them to be employed much more freely.