Re: Erosion of Civil Liberties.

["Chris Kracik" <kracikcj@xxxxxxxx>]

> > This is, in fact, what the airlines do.  "If you want to ride our
airline,
> > you must abide by our rules" is Constitutional.  But "if you want to
ride
> > our airline, you must abide by rules set forth by the Government" is
> > unconstitutional.  Basically, if the government is the one imposing the
> > rules, or even just applying pressure to the airlines to apply certain
> > rules, there's a serious Fourth Amendment concern.

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.

Following is my opinion - your mileage may vary:

I suspect the word "unreasonable" is a key word in this Amendment.  Stopping
someone on a freeway because of the color of their skin and rifling through
their vehicle would be considered unreasonable.  However, security check
points at airpoints, having been set up for the safety of all travellers,
should not be considered unreasonable.

I'm no lawyer, but I try to avoid playing one on TV...
Chris Kracik