The issue here is that some folks believe that those who wear the uniform of our country are entitled to special treatment because of their service and their many sacrifices.
However, what they are fighting for is the United States of America, a nation where the government is not supposed to treat people differently based on their race, religion, background, or occupation, and where the rights and freedoms of all people are protected equally by that government.
For me, this means that the issue is not a special pass for the military, but that NOBODY should ever be subjected to these despicable deprivations and violations without warrant, probable cause, or articulable suspicion.
In other words, yes, I firmly believe that uniformed military, police, or other public servants should be treated by government actors exactly the same as anyone else when transiting a c/p. But I don't believe the treatment that this Marine got was permissible under the 4th Amendment for ANYONE, be they a vet in dress blues, an octogenarian housewife, a middle-aged businessman, or a couple of college kids on their way to spring break. NOBODY should ever be treated this way just to get on a plane.
Amendment 4: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
This is one of the things these vets fight and die for, yet it's being stripped away from us, a piece at a time, in a bogus attempt to make the world "safe" and "secure".
It's despicable that our government would do this to ANYONE without warrant, without probable cause, without even articulable suspicion.