EDITORIAL: Just say 'no' to Metro searches? No.

Every incremental erosion of civil rights is framed as a reasonable safety measure. I was taught that being American meant resisting attacks on personal liberty. I think that Flex Your Rights has a valid concern here, as does Metrorail. But I would ask you to consider this; would you want every public experience to be like a trip to the airport today? We need to think twice before we act.

If you don't want to be searched, don't ride the rail. It's called freedom of choice, oh no, wait, that phrase is reserved for killing babies.

Why do you think the Police initiated these procedures? Other than protecting people, what other motive do they have? I think that America is a "thick" and hubris-filled country. Unfortunately, another 9/11 is going to have to occur in order to refresh memories as to why "eternal vigilance is the price of freedom." - Wendell Phillips

This is from Wikipedia on the 4th amendment: "The Fourth Amendment only applies to governmental actors. It does not guarantee a right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures conducted by private citizens or organizations." However I believe the Metro Police are not a private organization and therefore subject to the 4th Amendment of our Constitution. I think Flex clearly has a point here. Freedom requires both responsibility and risk taking. Ultimately it is impossible to secure anything.

puritanhope - I'll be by later tonight to search you and your premises. It will be OK because I am not a government agent so let me in and don't complain. Really though, is Metro looking for terrorists or simply trolling for some crime or criminal? Wendell Phillips quote cuts two ways. As a human rights abolishionist, Phillips was referring to government oppression (institutional slavery), not an attack by outside forces. Unfortunately after the Civil War, Phillips warning was not heeded and along came Jim Crow: and that cost us about 100 years.

I don't see anyone having the right NOT to consent to random searches. That is the beautiful thing about America. If anyone wants to look at this theory drastically, imagine the police saying 'Hey, we want to put a chip in every new born babys skull so that we can get alerted when we may think they are going to do something bad'...... I respect the law but i don't think certain actions are beneficial. This will be surely abused. Also...it doesn't matter if its a 3 or 10 second search..thats not cool. If you want to be searched...go ahead and get searched...if someone else doesn't want to be searched...then they have the right to not consent to being searched. Whoever wrote this article is a bone head.

It is totally reasonable to refuse to be searched. It is one of our most basic protections against police 'fishing.' When the police pull someone over, they often ask, "do you have any weapons or narcotics in the vehicle?" If you say, "No," they follow up with , "do you mind if I take a look?" they're fishing. they have no reasonable suspicion, but they want to look anyway. you can choose to let them 'just take a look', or you can tell them "no." Protecting your rights to be free from unreasonable search is not grounds for search. Personally, I would rather have a 9/11 style attack once a year than to give up our freedoms. "Horrible!" you say.... 3,000 people died, and yes, that is horrible; however, according to the USDOT 42,815 people died in automobile crashes in 2002, with an additional 2.9 Million people injured. Every 14 days, 3,000 people die on the highway! Terrorism is only effective if you're afraid. Don't let the government tell you that you should be more afraid of a terrorist than you are of driving, when clearly the number don't support it.

I am going to refuse to be searched every time, at every opportunity, especially when the lame excuse of public safety, or the guilt trip of "you don't have anything to hide, do you?" is used. If the government, our government was really concerned about our saftey, (ha) the borders wouldn't be wide open for every criminal and nut-bag to come walking across, and people with expired visas would be deported. The law is only enforced to the point of abuse against the legal citizens here. Let's see now if things get better since we threw out one set of bums and replaced them with another. I won't hold by breath.

"If Flex Your Rights members don't want to be searched, they should ride Metrobus instead of Metrorail." Note to terrorists: Take the bus.