Amendment IV
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.
It really is important that we let our elected representatives know that we will not stand for this. Every freedom we let go, every right we let them take away, is one step closer to letting them take away all our freedoms and all our rights. I can't say it any better than James Madison:
I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.
The 4th Amendment was in danger long before the FISA wiretapping, clear back during the Reagan years when drug testing began to be widespread. There is a certain mentality which ignores the 4th Amendment completely, their rationale being, "Hey, if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about. You do want to be a good citizen and help the authorities, don't you?"
ReplyDeleteAnd so the struggle between law and order and individual liberty continues....
You and I are in complete agreement on that. But the warrantless wiretaps go so far beyond drug testing in scope it's almost incomprehensible. Drug testing was a punch to the gut. the FISA wiretaps (which don't conform to FISA requirements, BTW) are a baseball bat to the head.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the mentality, too. Another aspect of that mentality is that if you question the government (usually whichever party is in power) you are anti-American. The truth is that objecting to the questionable acts of our government is one of the most patriotic things you can do. You're following in the footsteps of Washington, Madison, Jefferson, et-al.