The New York Post’s Michael Walsh believes we all have legitimate reason to be paranoid in the increasingly 1984-surpassing American surveillance state in a political environment where the abuse of government power seems to be more and more overt. But none have more reason to be paranoid than conservatives under and administration that has demonstrated that it "can’t keep private information private — and is happy to seek retribution on those who disagree with it.”​

Walsh points to a number of proofs of the government's willingness to abuse its powers to punish political foes, including the IRS targeting scandal (which Obama denied in front of the nation Sunday ever occurred), harassment of private citizens (e.g., Ben Carson), and recent cases, like the apparent targeting of Hollywood conservative group, the Friends of Abe, and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza.

The IRS admitted targeting conservative groups before the 2012 election, subjecting them to extra scrutiny and delaying their nonprofit status. One group, Friends of Abe, says its application was held up for two years and they were asked to hand over a list of its members. Another, the National Organization for Marriage, alleged that the IRS leaked its 2008 tax return and donor lists.

Meanwhile, a number of Obama’s critics have noticed how audits seem to follow their outspokenness — a coincidence, to be sure.

But how about conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, who was charged with a felony for allegedly making illegal campaign contributions — something that warranted a much lesser charge for other defendants?

As for those crying "conservative conspiracy theory" over D’Souza’s campaign finance charges, Walsh cites Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who argues that the severity of legal action taken against D’Souza doesn’t fit the alleged crime:

The idea of charging him with a felony for this doesn’t sound like a proper exercise of prosecutorial discretion. I can’t help but think that [D’Souza’s] politics have something to do with it . . . It smacks of selective prosecution.

And while for conservatives, the fear of abuse of the government’s surveillance and executive powers might be most pronounced, the truth is all 300+ million of us are potential victims of the whims of the political elite:

The fact is, privacy has become a thing of the past, destroyed by the rise of information technology, the force of government, and the willing surrender of the citizenry.

But how many Americans’ hands are pausing over a keyboard these days, wondering if posting their opinion over Facebook isn’t putting themselves at risk?

The NSA revelations and the IRS scandal have sent a chill through freedom of speech and expression in this country.

“Trust us” cannot be the answer.