Do people opposed to the President's surveillance programs object to being searched before boarding a plane?

Question

Why or why not? Both are warrantless.

What are the similarities, and the differences?

Thanks.

Answer 1

I have been on 9 seperate flights in the past 16 days, America is not the only country to extensively search people for flights. I happily oblidge when asked to be patted down or have my bags searched as i have nothing to hide. I feel the same way with anything else.

Answer 2

I most certainly do.

Not so much the pat down or metal screen -those have always been there - and I can tell you I have had my privates groped very well by a guard in Tokyo when I was late for a flight and running to the gate, that is life - but I object to the data collection that is used and shared after takeoff in a collaboration of public and private, al in violation of the 4th and 5th amendments.

Precisely the same arguments (this is only the briefest outline) that I uses to object to known and unknown surveillance against Americans.

Incidentally, I object to being made to show ID to board an interstate train or bus too, where no guard is going to search me. That proves it is a data matter, not a threat prevention matter, and it comes dangerously close to "requiring papers" for in-country travel, which is so counter to the American way of life most people can't even conceive i tis being done now in these circumstances.

You might want to look for John Gilmore in wikipedia to see more about that

Answer 3

Anyone boarding a plane is a potential security risk to that plane and the other people on it. By virtue of getting on the plane, that makes it reasonable to search you. This is a limited search only to those who may present a risk. They don't search everyone who comes into the airport, just those getting on the plane.

Warrantless wiretapping can be used against anyone, whether there is reason to believe they are involved in illegal activity or not. If there is reasonable cause to believe someone needs to be under surveillance, it is easy enough to get a warrant (It can even be done retroactively) without alerting them to the surveillance. There is simply no good reason for warrantless wiretaps.

Answer 4

I can't speak for those that oppose surveilance, but I do object to being searched at an airport before boarding a plane. I object to the violation of my rights and on the grouds that the searches are pretty ineffective anyway

Answer 5

They may grumble, but they either get searched or they don't fly.

Answer 6

no