Liberty or Safety?

If the goal of terrorists is to destroy western society, as so many of the supporters of these pat downs seem to claim, then ask yourself if they have succeeded when the basis of our society rests upon our 'inalienable' rights such as those protected by the 4th amendment - "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.".

Considering the fact that the vast majority of terrorist attacks against our country / citizenry were initiated and carried out by radical Islamic extremists, I believe that the majority of people that board airplanes each day in the US do not fit the "probable cause" criteria, and therefore should not be subject to such an invasive and unconstitutional search under 4th amendment guidelines. If anyone other than a TSA agent were to take full body nude images of men, women and children, or patted them down the way the TSA does, they would be persecuted for child pornography, assault, etc.

Besides, these intrusive searches are really only a "feel good" measure designed to make the travelers "feel safe". Let's be honest, if someone wanted to perpetrate a terrorist attack all they would need to do is simply hide the C-4 plastic explosive in their anal cavity (yes, you could fit enough in there to cause an explosion large enough to bring an airliner down) or simply blow themselves up in the middle of the security checkpoint line with hundreds of people standing around. The larger risk, as recently detailed, is in the cargo / package side of the airline industry, yet they haven't taken steps to fully screen all packages that get loaded onto airliners across this country every day. I know there aren't as many people on a cargo plane, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people put at risk each and every day who live near airports who could be killed if one of those planes were to be blown up on final approach to whatever airport they were attempting to land at.

Safety is relative and for the most part a fallacy. What happens after someone does blow-up a plane with explosives hidden in a body cavity? Do we then subject our citizens to full strip / body cavity searches before boarding a plane? Or what happens when someone walks into a crowded mall during the holiday shopping season and blows themselves up, killing hundreds in the process? Do we then subject our citizens to full strip / body cavity searches before entering a shopping center, a bowling alley, etc? Today we're talking about airplanes, tomorrow it could be your local gym. At what point do we finally put our foot down and quit handing away our liberties in the name of false security?

Nowhere on my airline ticket, or in the verbiage I read at the time I purchase my tickets, does it say that by purchasing the ticket I have agreed to give up my constitutional right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

THOSE WHO WOULD SACRIFICE LIBERTY FOR SAFETY WILL HAVE NEITHER - BEN FRANKLIN

To those who suggest we simply not fly to escape these authoritarian measures, I suggest YOU not fly if you want to be "safe". Let those of us who know the truth keep our rights when we fly, and you can "safely" drive your car, take a train, or use a boat to get to your destination in days instead of hours. (keep in mind that you're over 1000 times more likely to die in an automobile accident than you are in an air travel disaster - yet no one is clamoring for the government to grope you before you get in your car... yet...)

When given the choice of flying with cattle who don't mind having their genitals prodded by the government, or flying with freedom loving individuals who would punch a terrorist in the mouth and subdue them before they can take over a plane, I know who I would rather fly, or die, with. Do you?

Here's a great piece of legislation proposed by Ron Paul from the Texas 14th: American Traveler Dignity Act