Re: I think it would be rather splendid
> dystopian
You think? Remember, Murphy's law is part of the Constitution of Reality.
As about the OP, I think he is rather optimistic, in that he assumes the agency will only use that power to defend itself, and its bosses will not abuse their power to go on a rabid crusade to protect the country from itself (something called an "auto-immune reaction" in medicine). US TLAs are prone to that kind of behavior.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
