> Neither group should have the power but I am far more likely to be in danger from a nearby guy on a power trip than from the FBI.
I think that that's a less obvious conclusion than one might think, even though I share your more acute distrust of local than of federal law enforcement. It might seem extremely unlikely for someone inconsequential like, let's be honest, many of us here to come to the attention of a national body; but history shows that all it takes is being affiliated with a group or movement that makes the federal government nervous to become the subject of FBI scrutiny, and this likelihood is heightened the easier surveillance becomes.
I think that that's a less obvious conclusion than one might think, even though I share your more acute distrust of local than of federal law enforcement. It might seem extremely unlikely for someone inconsequential like, let's be honest, many of us here to come to the attention of a national body; but history shows that all it takes is being affiliated with a group or movement that makes the federal government nervous to become the subject of FBI scrutiny, and this likelihood is heightened the easier surveillance becomes.