Child Protective Services around the country used Americans' reasonable loathing for child abusers to get away with countless Constitutional Rights Violations. They routinely violated the rights of the accused, the rest of the members of the household and the rights of the victim.
They've been reigned in modestly in recent years by successful litigation, but people who don't know their rights and don't have money for a good lawyer still get steam-rolled.
If the TSA debacle continues for decades with such limited success, then (IMHO) nothing the tin-hat-wearing-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it folks can dream up will be as bad as reality.
Originally Posted by
Princess1
"The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Thomas Jefferson
I'd rather not go there, thanks very much! That sounds too much like a rallying cry for a wave of "domestic terrorism". That response is exactly why I find the TSA's outlandish abuse of Civil Rights so dangerous. If not appropriately and promptly checked, it could lead to violence.
I'd rather brainstorm about ways to raise public awareness. It seems to me that far too many Americans have not been taught how the Constitution protects Americans from civil unrest. I think that most Americans have a vague idea that the Constitution is about "freedom". I don't think they know that the Constitution is also about safety.
Our Constitution makes it safe for a diverse population to share the same country without violence. It defines the very structure and balance of our nation. The Constitution must be preserved in order for us and our posterity to live without the constant threat of violent upheaval from within.
If most Americans knew that the Constitution assured their precious safety as well as their barely understood and usually unappreciated freedoms, they might be more concerned about Civil Rights infringements.