Just to recap a few posts ago…
Amendment IVThe right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
If you have had the pleasure to travel by air over the Thanksgiving weekend, then I applaud you on your willingness to undergo the most difficult adventure of the modern era… Domestic Air Travel. Recently people have been subjected to the most intrusive searches of their persons that has ever been done in the history of air travel.
While I’m not one to argue that air travel must be safe. I say look at the 4th Amendment… unreasonable search and seizures… What part does our government not understand.
I believe that the 9/11 attacks that this government wants to remind us of daily was purpitrated by mostly Saudi Arabian Citizens… aka foreign nationals… or non-US Citizens. It would be REASONABLE to search people who match the same M.O. (Modus Operandi), and it would be fair.
If we are catching Drug Smugglers and other criminals through this highly tighten net of security, maybe we have done so at a real cost, and that is the weakening of our Constitution. Using Anti-Terrorism dollars to support other law enforcement efforts would be good, if that was the purpose of the airport screening process. But we know that it isn’t the case. They are there for one singular purpose, and that is to make sure another 9/11 never happens again.
Searching my 59 year old mother will not make airplanes more safer.
Skipping the other 19 Middle Eastern Men that boarded the plane because we’ve exceeded our quota of inspections won’t make our planes safer either.
I’m confused where my rights under the 4th Amendment as a US Citizen ceased, when non US Citizens seem to be able to take advantage of our laws, when they don’t even pay (or believe) into the system that protects them.
Maybe it is profiling, but I can’t imagine needing to pat down a 55 year old woman who clearly can be observed not carrying anything, especially after they’ve emptied their pockets and been through the metal detector.
If we keep spending our time searching the common folk, we will miss the real terrorists.