Fair is fair: I said "I want evidence the NSA is actually misusing data". We have that now.

[woo me with science]

40. But have you learned from your error?

It's absurd to insist on "proof" of abuse before denying government access to powers that are patently ripe for abuse.

The Founders knew this. That's why the Bill of Rights focuses on what the government may NOT do. History is exceedingly clear that offering opportunities for abuse of power inevitably, eventually, leads to abuses of power.

This situation is not analogous to a human defendant in court who deserves the presumption of innocence until proof of guilt is determined and corrective action may be taken. This is about creating governmental structures that wield power over millions of human lives. The presumption and the bias should always go toward limiting highly "abusable" powers from the start, and maintaining constant vigilance, transparency, and skepticism to ensure that abuses do not begin to grow.