So I Just Wrote My Congressmen

I just sent this to my three congressmen. Enjoy, and comment if you’d like.

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Today I’m writing to ask you to protect the civil liberties of US citizens. In the years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks various branches of the US government have taken steps to increase the security of our nation. The problem we are experiencing today is that good intentions do not always equal freedoms being protected

It is a noble undertaking that the TSA takes on; the responsibility of protecting airplane passengers is huge. I fear that the intense focus on security has created an environment where the very public method of security is quashing those very constitutional rights they are seeking to protect.

To say that I would be angry to see my wife handled in that fashion would be the understatement of the year. This type of physical contact would clearly be seen as molestation in all other circumstances. To me it doesn’t make a difference that TSOs only pat down members of the same sex. There are only two persons who should have that kind of contact with me: my wife and my doctor.

Not that I need to quote the Fourth Amendment for you, but it reads:

The 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.

When did choosing to fly become “probable cause?” I fail to see how the choice of air travel warrants the suspension of the Fourth Amendment.

I urge you to seek out a better way forward. Security of the nation’s airways is an important task, but security at the cost of civil liberty is contrary to what this nation stands for. I cannot sit quietly when we’re told that to protect our freedom we must give up our freedom.