Those Who Would Give Up ESSENTIAL LIBERTY To Obtain A Little TEMPORARY SAFETY Deserve Neither Liberty Nor Safety
This morning I cried for my country. The last time I shed tears for Her was in November of 2004. We have a president who has produced more signing statements than all previous presidents combined, stating specifically that he can choose which laws to follow based on "his interpretation of the constitution". People within our borders and under our control abroad no longer have a right to know the charges against them nor to a fair and speedy trial by a jury of impartial peers. And now for the "privilage" of using PUBLIC transportation I must forfit my right to be secure in my person from unreasonable search and seizure.
The MBTA plans on randomly searching for explosives among the one million daily passengers of the transit system. Not only is finding one terrorist among one million not statistically possible by random searches, these searches are not-so-random harassment paid for by my tax dollars. But the MBTA wants you to know that this obliteration of your rights as an American citizen will not be inconvenient: they will even hold the train for you while they do their testing for explosives.
I want to boycott the MBTA. But I can't. I am too poor. To get the education I need to not be poor anymore, I need to go into the city. I cannot afford to fix my car well enough to safely make the journey, nor can I afford a taxi. Thus my tears this morning.
What I have chosen to do is carry my pocket-sized copy of the Constitution. If I am searched I will pull it out, politely explain to the officers that they cannot do this, and refuse to be searched. The MBTA has already stated that anyone who refuses to be searched must leave the T. If they do not leave they will be arrested. After my discussion with the officers I will leave the T. I will walk/hitch/call for a ride/scrape enough money together for a taxi, and then proceed to the nearest public land line and call the ACLU. And I will sue.
I also plan on contacting the ACLU to find out what my rights of protest are on MBTA property. I want to make a few hundred copies of the Bill of Rights and hand them out in and around T stops. I am also going to look into getting support from my school and starting an organization to educate the masses about their rights. I want every Bostonian stopped in the subway to refuse to be searched.
If you use the MBTA, please purchase a copy of the Constitution small enough to carry with you. Please refuse to be searched. Many have died for the freedoms we have, the least we can do is be inconvenienced in the name of Liberty. I want to die where I was born, but I will not die under a fascist state.
posted by Bry at 2:17 PM
7 Comments:
"Says testing of bags won't cause big delays"? Let's see. What is the word I want to use? Oh Yeah,
BULLSHIT!
Dean & I went to see Iron Maiden Friday night at the Agganis Arena. It is BU's new athletic center. Very good place to see a show. When we entered the building there were 2 lines- 1 girls & 1 boys- for searching of thy person and possessions. I carried my very small Chococat purse so when I had to open it up the woman saw that there was no way I was packing ANYTHING that did not belong in a purse. When the woman patted me down (Where are your manners? At least buy me a drink first.)She smiled as I automatically lifted my arms straight out and she had this look on her face as to nonverbally (sp?)say "Sorry, I have to treat everyone the same". Ok, this I understand, but explain to me how someone got through with pot. Smoking cigarettes is bad enough inside a building that does not allow smoking, but why are people smoking something in a public place that is illegal. I am not trying to be, pardon the term, high and mighty about all of this, but there were young children in the audience where I was sitting. I wonder, if you are pulled over by a cop for something and you reek of pot smoke even though you did not smoke it yourself can they arrest you under suspicion of use or possession? Will they buy the honest answer of "I just left a concert and someone was smoking pot".? Those who know me can imagine what I was wearing to the show. For those who do not, I had a bracelett with small spikes and all black clothing and I have multiple ear piercings in various parts of each ear. Would I a cop believe me based on how I look?
I just bought me a tiny new book!
(um, who would take a little kid to see Iron Maiden? - was it a day-time show?)
If a cop thinks he smells pot on you he can search your car but when he finds nothing, as he would with you, that's the end of it. You just get whatever ticket you got pulled over for.
Coffeesnob: glad to see you too will be armed with knowledge. The website I linked to to buy it is a conservative thinktank, but they're strict constitutionalist conservatives. If that was all we ever had for Republicans we'd be all set, none of this executive branch runs the world bullshit. For $750 you can buy 500 copies; I want to raise the money and hand them out to people on the T.
The kids in question were mostly in the 8 - 13 year old range. Mostly boys and all with their fathers. It wasn't a late night. We were in Beverly by 11pm. As for the smoke, yes, arrousing the attention of drug sniffing dogs is enough for the police to detain and search you. If you haven't done anything wrong you have nothing to hide. You should be happy to give up your rights in order to be allowed to ride the subway. Just because your taxes support it and you paid the fare to get on the train doesn't mean you have the right to ride it. The United States ended years ago. We're their slaves and this is the way they're letting us know it.
Suddenly my stance on unrestricted gun control makes sense now, doesn't it?
Can two gun restrictions be responsibility (did I spell that right?) and accountability?
They still scare me, but now I'm thinking that something that protects me and mine might not be a bad thing. Yes, all guns do it kill people - they can't weed your garden or anything usefull - but if you WANT to kill people they could probably come in handy.
(Sorry Bry, I got my copy through the Amazon link at the NPR website - I had a GC.)
I'm all for responsibility and accountability. I'm thinking of getting a gun license myself. Although having one might not be worth two shits as the first thing the army did in New Orleans was take homeowners' guns away. Not give them water or a ride out, just take away their protection from looters.
Coffeesnob: however you got a copy is awesome (supporting NPR is also awesome). I will have mine in my back pocket tonight as I brave PUBLIC transportation.
They took the guns away from minorities. The rich white folks on the dry side of town got to keep theirs.
I would have protected my second ammendment rights by using my second ammendment rights on agents of the government who are clearly violating the constitution.
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