I wouldn't have a problem with the FBI keeping tabs on anyone who has publicly stated that they want to violently overthrow the government. However...
Communism is hardly a monolithic strain of thought. There are many people who ascribe to the economic principles of communism but who absolutely reject that sort of violence. In fact, there are large numbers people who identify non only as communists, but also as pacifists, such as Einstein (though, late in life he made an exception for defeating forces such as Naziism). There is very little danger of someone like Einstein violently over throwing anything. His political philosophy is directly opposed to such a thing. The FBI keeping tabs on a man like him served absolutely no purpose related to the security of the nation.
Similarly, there are currently members of the tea party movement advocating the violent overthrow of government. They are a minority (probably a very small one) in the movement. As much as I disagree with tea partiers, I still feel that if the FBI decided it had a right to keep tabs on anyone who identified with tea party movement, it would be a gross violation of civil liberties.
Communism is hardly a monolithic strain of thought. There are many people who ascribe to the economic principles of communism but who absolutely reject that sort of violence. In fact, there are large numbers people who identify non only as communists, but also as pacifists, such as Einstein (though, late in life he made an exception for defeating forces such as Naziism). There is very little danger of someone like Einstein violently over throwing anything. His political philosophy is directly opposed to such a thing. The FBI keeping tabs on a man like him served absolutely no purpose related to the security of the nation.
Similarly, there are currently members of the tea party movement advocating the violent overthrow of government. They are a minority (probably a very small one) in the movement. As much as I disagree with tea partiers, I still feel that if the FBI decided it had a right to keep tabs on anyone who identified with tea party movement, it would be a gross violation of civil liberties.