Originally Posted by
gsoltso
. . . There are many arguments (many of them have been presented here) that the consent given at a checkpoint is not an informed consent due to the nature of the regulations and SSI . . .
I would argue that no consent is given at the checkpoint at all. Instead, the government
compells me to undergo a search before it allows me to exercise my constitutional right to travel freely throughout the nation. I do not consent to the search in any meaning of the word; at best I comply. To use the word "consent" in this context is not much better than saying I consent to handing over my wallet to a robber in order to avoid having him hit me over the head.