In response to last week’s attempted attack on a plane
heading from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan,
the New York
Times is pointing out the inadequacies of our nation’s security system.
“But as this case makes chillingly clear, the airport security systems put in
place after the Sept. 11th attacks– complicated, expensive, and
hugely onerous for travelers – have serious flaws.”
What the New York Times editors fail to understand in their
assessment of our nation’s security system is our ability to be both safe and
free.
In the ACLU’s
press release, Mike German, policy counsel in our Washington Legislative
Office and a former FBI agent, assesses how the US addresses national security
concerns - with a bloated and ineffective terrorist watch list, racial
profiling, and extreme invasions of privacy.
In the wake of events last week, some, including the New York Times, are
advocating for use of full body scanners, or electronic strip-searches. Given
the technology’s ability to pick up on details of the body like mastectomy
scars or medical details such as colostomy bags, serious consideration should
be given to using this technology before subjecting innocent travelers to
potentially humiliating practices.
At the ACLU of MAINE, the ACLU, and I’m sure all across the country,
we are relieved that last week's events didn’t end tragically. We
want a secure and safe nation. Unlike some, though, we do not believe you
must sacrifice freedom in order to be safe. Just this summer the US Supreme
Court ruled unconstitutional the strip
search of a 13-year-old student based on an uncorroborated report of a
classmate. To conduct so intrusive a search, one needs probable cause or
reasonable suspicion. To subject hundreds of thousands of travelers to invasive
electronic strip searches with no suspicion of guilt is not in line with the
spirit of the 4th amendment. We hope that as we establish policies
to secure travel for Americans, we keep the spirit of the 4th amendment
in mind, and particularly the importance of privacy and our long held commitment
to a presumption of innocence.
Reading this situation unfold over the past week reminded me
of the work I’ve had the privilege of doing in my two years at the ACLU of MAINE. After
September 11th, Bush expanded power in the name of national security
at a tremendous cost to our liberty. From warrantless
wiretapping to sneak
and peek searches to government sanctioned torture, we’ve been
working tirelessly in Maine
on national security issues since I came on board. I know the work extends far beyond my time
with the organization. On New Year’s Eve, I’m reminded of this history,
saddened knowing that the work is no where near done, and heartened that I’m
still with the organization that has been and will be at the forefront of this work in the next
decade. To learn more about our work,
take a look around our website. To support our work, join by clicking here, or donate by clicking here.