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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Scans and searches

Recent comments on full body scanning and invasive body searches by the Transportation Security Administration:

Benjamin Franklin: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Patrick Henry: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

6 comments:

jim1927 said...

If ALL are not free, then none are free. In to-day's world, these body searches at airports are defending my freedom.

Cheers,

Jim

R. L. Vaughn said...

Bro. Jim, it's good to find out you're still following the blog by hearing from you from time to time. Hope all is well up in the Great North.

I don't believe your axiom is a universal truth, and further I am not sure just how you are applying it in this context.

The issue of being safe is a real concern in this day and age in which we live. Airport and airplane security is a real part of that concern. This is not a frivolous issue. Nevertheless, I believe there are some things that people are willing to overlook just for the reason of "feeling" safe. Not sure of what underlying legal assumptions you might have in Canada. But there are some things that we in the U.S. seem to be overlooking; such things are presumption of innocent, probable cause, freedom from searches without a warrant, etc. The whole idea of the body searches and scans seems to be that we are guilty and must prove our innocence.

Now the main argument against the fourth amendment protection here seems that we don't _have to_ board a plane and fly.

I'd sure like to hear others weigh in on this issue.

BTW, I heard on the radio the other day that a survey found a large majority preferred the full body scans over the searches. Apparently they provide greater anonymity and are less intrusive, at least in an obvious touchy-feely sort of way.

jim1927 said...

Americans are too touchy feely about their Amendment and Constitutional rights. They should start exercising those so-called rights when fighting in other countries. I saw their violations in Korea. I saw their violations when they arrested me for walking down the street with a Blackman in Alabama in 1960 (Civil Rights) or when the White denied the voting rights of Blacks at that same time. The Blacks had the right to vote, but the Whites made it so hard to register,,and could cost them their lives...so they gave up.

Yje search does not presume guilt, it protects my innocence boarding a plane.

Cheers,

Jim

R. L. Vaughn said...

We individual Americans have every right to expect our government to operate under the Constitution that governs it, as well as individuals obeying the laws, any previous or current acts to the contrary notwithstanding.

Interesting that you bring up civil rights and black Americans. One organization known for fighting for civil rights for blacks -- the American Civil Liberties Union -- has sued the TSA-Homeland Security over illegal searches (This doesn't mean they consider all searches illegal/unconstitutional.) They are also investigating abuses of pat-down searches.

Anonymous said...

Any law or any government will always have its pros and cons. It is the price we pay. But, laws and governments of some sort are essential, else there would be anarchy. Every free citizen must be persuaded in their own mind when the line is crossed. Some are very apparent. Others will alwys seem somewhat blurred.

Anonymous said...

I believe something else tends to stand out here when looking at this issue. The common denominator would be technology. How are body scans developed? Through technology. Why are they now being utilized? To a large extent, from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. What permitted the attacks to happen? By a large part, through technology. I would venture to say that technology has now become America's own "sleeping giant." What will happen when the giant has awakened? I believe most would not want to know.