I am not much for conspiracy theories and I don’t put a lot of stock in claims that the TSA or the government is intentionally attempting anything nefarious. When Secretary Napolitano and TSA Chief Pistole tell us that these measures are intended to keep us safe – I have no reason to doubt these claims. Some argue that the new measures are ineffective at accomplishing this goal. Perhaps, but even that assertion is not the primary concern.
No, the primary concern is one of acceptance. It is the ‘cooking of the frog’ scenario. No matter how well intentioned the initial purpose may be - if they are allowed to continue, these invasive and unwarranted searches (and by definition they are unwarranted) will become accepted. It will be the new normal - all in the name of flight security. What will undoubtedly follow in our children’s lifetime is the expansion of these technologies and procedures to other ‘risky’ aspects of life. It will be a natural extension to see them anywhere and everywhere people gather in mass – stadiums, malls, office buildings, etc.
Once we become used to plodding through these scanners - trusting the government to keep us safe - why wouldn’t the government use these to keep us safe from other evils? Catching those transporting drugs? – well of course! Is that a Bible? Or a Koran? Is that anti-government/anarchist propaganda in your back pocket?
Maybe this is a stretch. Maybe. But the fourth amendment exists for a reason and it has served us very well for over two centuries. It is not worth abandoning just because the terrorists have figured out clever ways to kill us.
It does not matter that they are just trying to keep the public safe. It does not matter if these methods are more effective than others or if they are not. What matters is that the potential consequences for allowing this change in the relationship between the government and the governed are so grave. Could this be the biggest step toward a police state that we have ever seen in our country? Will it be welcomed with applause because we feel a little bit safer while sitting in our airplane seats? The ends do not justify the means.
I heard a news commentator state that our servicemen and women are fighting with their very lives to keep us safe and yet we cannot tolerate a little inconvenience in an effort to do the same. But these brave men and women are risking their lives to protect ALL of our freedoms. I think a far worse tragedy would be for our fighting men and women to return home to a country resembling a high tech version of the evil they have been combating.
Edited for grammar.
