TSA Treats Passengers Like Criminals and Cattle

As I approached the TSA screening line on a trip last weekend, I was struck by the fact that I was watching cattle corralled, branded and moved along until they passed inspection. Further reflection changed my mind. It was not cattle that the TSA commanded, but criminals.

We are all guilty until proven innocent.

Hardly a proper method for protecting citizens from terrorists. As I prepared to remove my shoes, belt, jacket, cell phone, change and my computer from its case, I noticed a sign that read, " Exempt from screening - people over the age of 75, and children under 12". Boy that sure makes a lot of sense. Twelve year old children are shooting Marines in the Middle East and are certainly capable of becoming human bombs. And who better to pick for a suicide mission than someone over 75?

Israel has the finest screening system in the world. Guess what? They use profiling to protect their citizens. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that it's people from the Middle East who are trying to kill us. But our esteemed leaders believe that it is unfair to single out a woman in a berka whose has made three trips to Pakistan in the last three months.

The de-humanizing of the American public continues at an alarming rate. Put up your hands and stand at attention so that a machine can see through your clothes. Keep still while our government agents pat down your body. Everywhere we go thousands of cameras watch our every move. NSA is listening to our phone conversations and reading our emails and internet traffic. Warrantless searches approved by secrete tribunals. Does this sound like America or more like Nazi Germany or Russia?

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that we shouldn't take steps to protect us from the next terrorist attack. However, there should be some rational balance between protecting citizens from bombs and protecting citizens from government intrusion. We have all become desensitized to these infringements to our personal liberty. What has happened to our founding fathers belief in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

The ever expanding police state smacks of fascism or totalitarian rule. And the dumbed down public marches in step with whatever the government dictates. But don't take away their entertainment or we may have a riot. America looks more and more like Rome before the fall. The great games in the great coliseum have been replaced by football stadiums and great arenas where a hundred thousand gather to hear the latest pop stars.

We are amusing ourselves to death.

We worship athletes, rock stars and movie idols, while we elect politicians who perform on Saturday Night Live, but have no clue about how to govern or make intelligent decisions. We send our children to the great propaganda machine (school) and wonder why the country seems to be going to hell.

If we don't take a stand and put a stop to all of this insanity, we will find that the freedoms that have been eroded over the last two decades will pale in comparison to those we are going to lose. Bigger government is not the solution it is the problem. I will address some solutions in my next post.

John Lawrence Allen, a nationally recognized legal expert, represents investors nationwide in securities arbitration. Mr. Allen’s second book, “Make Wall Street Pay You Back,” was just released. For more information visit www.MakeWallStreetPayYouBack.com

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