Scaling Freedom

A note on airport strip downs and searches.

Remember Timothy McVeigh the Oklahoma City bomber? Remember the guy who drove his SUV to the middle of Time Square in NY and tried to set off an explosive? The pair who terrorized the east coast by turning the truck of their car into a snipers nest? Image for a second that because of these singular events that all cars were required to be made out of glass so people could see the occupants and the vehicles contents? Image that you had to drive in the nude so that you could not additionally hid things under your clothes? Would you do? In the name of public safety? These people have proven that our automotive infrastructure can be used against us with extremely deadly consequences.

Remember the Unabomber? Or the anthrax in the mail threat? Would you change the rules so that you had to travel to the post office to send and receive mail? Be patted down by your governments employed mail carrier? All of your mail had to be sent in clear zip lock envelopes with your personal information out there for anyone to see?

What about banks, convenience stores, department stores doing body scans so you can not steal or threaten the employees in a hold up?

Would you submit? Trade a digital image of your naked body and imprint of your license for minuet percentage decrease that you would be harmed in a burglary while you were buying a new shirt?

My guess is not. My guess is there would be outrage. That wise people would see the folly of these extreme measures and rally against the erosion of their personal freedom, but then I go to the airport and I wonder with a touch of sadness how far we will let our delusion of security letit slide.

“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” – Ben Franklin