Friday, July 22, 2005

"Who Are These People?"

Jeremy Blachman wants to know:
Who are these people who are really upset about the police wanting to search people's bags on the way into the subway? Why would anyone be upset about this? I want people's bags to be searched. I'm fine with metal detectors, and plainclothes cops, and whatever else they feel like they need to do to make the subway (and the rest of the city) as safe as it can be. What's the big deal?
So I thought I'd stand up and be counted. I'm one of those people. I don't want transit cops digging through my purse and checking to make sure I don't have C4 hidden under my personal hygiene products. The airport security checks are pretty dire, but at least you choose to go to the airport. This effectively repeals the 4th Amendment for anyone who depends on public transit to get to work. That's the big deal, at least for those of us who care about the law and not just (the appearance of) security.

Majikthise makes a good point that this will only result in aspiring subway bombers strapping belts under their clothes instead. Does Blachman want a quick frisk before hopping on the 4/5? How about a strip search? Does he want to add an hour onto his daily commute so everyone can put their laptops through the metal detectors one by one? Bah.

UPDATE: Jeremy's response is here. Money quote:
I trust the government. I trust that whoever is making these decisions knows what they're doing. Or at least they know better than I do.
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