Land of the Free

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! (Isa 10:1-2)

Have you flown the friendly skies lately? This summer (2007) I had the pleasure to participate in a short-term mission to Hungary. My two older sons went with me. The mission trip was wonderful. The airport experience was frightening.

I could also mention the extreme difficulty I had acquiring a U.S. Passport, but that would take an entire new blog; so suffice it to say I received my Passport within three hours of the scheduled flight departure from New Orleans.

Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., in a recent April 2007 talk, said “Traveling on airplanes reminds us how much freedom we’ve lost and how we have become accustomed to it.” If you haven’t flown recently, let me help explain a little of what Rockwell is saying.

Our U.S. Constitution protects us from “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Obviously, “unreasonable” is up for grabs. Anybody want to define “unreasonable”? The socialists in D.C. are content with defining anything done at an airport as “reasonable.” After all, they are trying to prevent hijackings, bombings, and other acts of terrorism. So we all just bend over (sometimes literally) and allow government bureaucrats to have their way with us and our belongings.

Don’t think about trying to interrupt the routine. While we were waiting in airports, we were regularly advised over loudspeakers to “report suspicious activity.” You better walk right, talk right, and if you are waiting, you better wait right too, or else someone might interrogate you about your nervous pacing in the boarding area.

Go ahead and empty your pockets, take off your belt, your hat, and your shoes. And don’t forget to put all your toiletries in a clear, one-quart, zip-lock bag. Your liquids and gels are limited to three ounces each. Any violations here and the items will be seized, regardless of how “unreasonable” it might be. Forget about probable cause, don’t worry about oaths or affirmations, and especially don’t bring up the notion of a Warrant.

Maybe we have forgotten our true shield and defender, our God. Maybe we now rely solely on government to protect and defend us. Government will protect our "right" to "feel" safe at the expense of our right to that certain unalienable Right of Liberty. Our own government was founded to secure Liberty--honest--you can read about it in the Declaration of Independence. And our founders knew from whence these rights came, "You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe" (John Adams, second President of the US).