And both are perverted frequently enough to require proper oversight.

No, the real world could really do without a Jack Bauer.

I'm with Kirk on this one, the Good of the one sometimes outweigh to good of the many as is the case here.

I'm with Spock on this one, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one.

Which is my roundabout way of saying that violating the constitutional freedoms of an entire people is probably not worth it just to catch a few bad guys.

That was kinda what I meant here. The good of the one (Individual) and the many (the gov and everyone's security)

I think all you two have proven is that the proverb doesn't really apply here :-)

I'm pretty sure the state should exist to promote the quality of life of its inhabitants, not the other way around.

Not necessarily. It's hard to tell what you mean though. Are you saying the interests of the state and the interests of its people are necessarily at odds, or just that they have become so in the US?

That's a good question to ask the FBI.