Triple Play
I have three stories here, all of which are connected. It will take a bit of doing, but I will show you how.
Miami Police Take New Tack Against Terror
Refusal to present ID sparks test of rights
President Discusses Border Security and Immigration Reform in Arizona
The first two stories are easy to link together. The first one is how the Miami Police will be doing random shows of force and ID sweeps throughout the city. All well and good, at least on the surface.
But what happens when a citizen doesn't want to show their ID? May SCOTUS be damned for ruling that a police officer has the right to ask for ID, even when the citizen has done nothing to warrant attention. So the second article shows what happens to you if you don't respond properly to the request of, "Papers, please." You get detained for three hours, lose your job and have the sword of Damocles hanging over your head with the possibility of Federal charges.
But here's where it ties together. In the third article, President Bush talks about his "Guest Worker" program. Enter the country illegally, apply for a GW card and get to stay for six years. Yeah, that's a real incentive not to cross the border illegally.
It is this mishandling of the illegal problem that is causing such a security hole that now requires these ID sweeps. I have ideas on how to cut down on the illegal problem, but I would have groups like the ACLU, La Raza and even the Mexican Government screaming for my blood, so I will keep my ideas to myself. Suffice it to say I would make it clearly evident if someone was a caught illegal alien.
Unless the illegal problem is solved swiftly and permanently, this cycle of losing privacy will only intensify.
I fear the police, especially here in Memphis. I am an extraordinarily private person, and do not like my ID checked without probable cause. But if I want to stay out of police custody, I have little choice.
I do not view this as a means of security, but rather a loss of freedom. But I suppose that went out the window when ID's became mandatory. And as always, the tip of the sword doesn't hurt if applied slowly. But the rest of the sword is the part that does the damage.