I have to say here, that I've never been arrested before so I may be completely naïve. Am I? Am I missing something here, or have we stepped over the edge on the tails of Homeland Security?
So! If I am arrested for something as simple as forgetting to pay a speeding ticket, I am now subject to strip search and even BODY CAVITY INSPECTION!!
I've been writing in opposition to the Patriot Act and the future of abusive powers since this intrusive act reared its face in Congressional debates. We ignored it!
In the ever-present apathy of the American psyche, we ignored an act that PROMISED – not “had the potential,” or “could be abused,” this act literally PROMISED to impede our freedom; to violate individual rights to privacy and we stood by, watching as Homeland Security began to fulfill that promise one step at a time; in airport inspections, making light of the circumstances in which people are searched at airports and even laughing at what appeared to be humor while a lady dressed in a biking under a heavy coat stripped down to the barest of clothing to be gawked at and shamed; in utterly shameful and terrifying abilities for states to stop persons based simply on a hunch that they are illegal aliens.
Now, we’ve made it one step closer to a totalitarian society in which individual rights are of no concern.
“The Supreme Court on Monday ruled by a 5-to-4 vote that officials may strip-search people arrested for any offense, however minor, before admitting them to jails even if the officials have no reason to suspect the presence of contraband.”
“Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, joined by the court’s conservative wing, wrote that courts are in no position to second-guess the judgments of correctional officials who must consider not only the possibility of smuggled weapons and drugs but also public health and information about gang affiliations."
What in the name of hell does Kennedy mean “we are in no position to second-guess the judgments of correction officials? That’s PRECISELY what they are there for! That’s the very purpose of the U.S. Supreme Court – to guarantee civil rights and to prevail over state laws that are abusive in the nature of their powers.
“Article VI, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution is known as the Supremacy Clause because it provides that the "Constitution, and the Laws of the United States … shall be the supreme Law of the Land." It means that the federal government, in exercising any of the powers enumerated in the Constitution, must prevail over any conflicting or inconsistent state exercise of power.”
“The Supremacy Clause also requires state legislatures to take into account policies adopted by the federal government. Two issues arise when State Action is in apparent conflict with federal law.”
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects personal privacy, and every citizen's right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion into their persons, homes, businesses, and property -- whether through police stops of citizens on the street, arrests, or searches of homes and businesses.
I ask: Is this not unreasonable government intrusion into their persons? Is this not unreasonable and degrading in virtually every way possible???
We sat in the comfort and protection of our homes (domiciles soon to be at risk of illegal intrusion as well), fearing some propagandized, ubiquitous, sinister “terrorist” plot to, at any moment, pop out from under an airline or bus seat, spread terrorism via the Internet, or attack us while we drove to MacFattys.
We scoffed and laughed at the laws that allow TSA “agents” to search at will our bodies while unclothed. We stood by and watched as Arizona passed unimaginable “illegal alien” laws that allows any “officer of the law” to stop virtually any person simply upon a “suspicion” that the person may be illegal.
Now, we are subject to unimaginable searches “for any offense, however minor, before admitting them to jails even if the officials have no reason to suspect the presence of contraband.”
The Supreme Court of the United States is following, not the laws that made this country what it is suppose to be, but the wishes of those very same people who wish to destroy our rights, our dignity, our economy and our freedom.
Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. Totalitarian regimes stay in political power through an all-encompassing propaganda campaign, which is disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that is often marked by political repression, personality cultism, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of speech, mass surveillance, and widespread use of terror.
This happening every time Congress, with the blind support of The United States Supreme Court, passes laws that takes us to the next square towards Fascism. We are one more square, one more roll of the dice, towards losing everything and we had better stop replacing what should be boistrous objection with humor at women removing their coats to reveal a bikini at airport “security stops;” stop allowing states such as Arizona and Utah to pass intrusive and illegal search and seizure laws without regards to personal liberties; AND NOW, we can expect horrendous, embarrassing, humiliating, illegal search and seizure laws if we’re arrested for simply forgetting to pay a fine or for participating in peaceful and lawful protests. And don’t forget, a speeding ticket “is in lieu of arrest.” When will we begin to be arrested for speeding rather than ticketed, which of course would result in strip-search and body cavity inspections?
A strange paradox exists in this country, where it's perfectly legal to carry weapons and gun down children, yet our personal rights guranteed as human beings are on the verge of collapse.
As a man, I am deeply worried if, for some reason, my wife or daughter are arrested for some trivial bullshit. As a human, I am worried shitless about the direction this country is taking.
We are too close my friends. Too close to the abyss and I don’t like what I see down there.
No comments:
Post a Comment