I am deeply disturbed tonight. My wife relayed a message from a good and trusted friend tonight, who suggested that perhaps I should be careful about all of the comments I have posted on my Facebook account about the TSA recently. You see, I have "Liked" the We Won't Fly and Boycott Flying Facebook groups, and I frequently comment on the articles they post. I am also a youth pastor at my church, and several of the youth in my youth group are in my "Friends" list. My friend objected because (s)he thinks that some of the content in these articles can be somewhat offensive.
But how can it be worse to call out offensive behaviour by our government than it is to subject our children to it? Is it less offensive to have a pre-teen child actually face the TSA's current screening process than it is to describe why these practices are morally, ethically and legally reprehensible? My friend is a good person. (S)He frequently gives me very good advice, and I cannot overstate the value I place on this person's friendship. However, I humbly submit that there is a very, very serious logical disconnect when it is not offensive to take your children to the airport, have the TSA electronically strip-search them and/or have the TSA run their hands up and down every inch of their bodies, but it is offensive to write comments in protest of these policies.
It's more than this. The more we excuse our government to trample on our Constitutional rights the closer it becomes to tyranny. Remember if they can trample anyone's rights then they will.
ReplyDeleteThey will decide that religion is the cause of so many wars and disputes and so it must go. Anyone who sides with the churches/religion is a civil terrorist and must be jailed or sent off the re-education camps. If we aren't very careful this is exactly what is going to happen.
We, the public of the US, must stand up and fight for our Constitutional rights. If you won't defend them, then they are worthless. Since you don't mind if they are taken away, you won't mind giving up their protections. After all you didn't need those pesky Constitutional rights that just get in the way of the government abusing you. So now the government can do whatever they want and if needed, do it in the name of protecting people.
It will eventually be, you know we need to jail all those "religious" people, they are a threat and stir up hate, questioning authority and discontent in society. Afer that it will then it will be some other group. This will go on until the only ones left are the yes men agreeing all the time with the government and cowering their homes in fear that they might be taken away next.
This is Germany 1943 and/or Big Brother. Enjoy.
TJung, thanks for commenting. I think you are absolutely right. While the privacy and safety aspects of the AIT scanners tend to get the most media attention, I am convinced that the overarching concern is the blatant disregard the government has shown for civil liberties since 9/11. The Patriot Act, NSA wiretapping, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez claiming that the Constitution does not guarantee the right of habeus corpus, and now TSA trampling all over the 4th Amendment...God help us, because we seem to be oblivious to the writing on the wall.
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