I think that, to combat the Bush administration's Big Brother policies, we need two unambiguously worded Constitutional Amendments. First, we need an Amendment banning all government searches and seizures that involve personally touching anyone or their property without their consent without a warrant. Retroactive warrants should be acceptable, but only with the qualification that if a search is made and deemed by due process to be unjustified after the fact, the parties responsible for the search will be held legally accountable. This Amendment should also guarantee the right of all persons not currently serving a sentence for a crime or working for the United States government to communicate about the activities of any American government- federal, state or local.
Second, I propose a Constitutional Amendment stating clearly that all persons captured in war or conflict must be protected by the Geneva Convention if they are soldiers or given American legal due process if they are not. This Amendment should, furthermore, forbid any coercive measures against those in American detention except for those measures strictly necessary for their confinement, their confinement being subject to the Geneva Convention or to American due process with no exceptions. I appreciate all replies. Thank you very much.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

force, we can agree. let's use this as a starting point to achieve equal protection for all and kill entitlements for some(with exception to the handicapped). treat everyone with respect, till the earth and flourish. we need not take from those who have the will to produce, to give to those who only take from the sweat of our loins. It's time to cut the dead weight, we can not support the boomers as well as the beggars. get off your a$$e$$$$$ or go to the jungle and forage.

I appreciate all sane replies. Thank you very much.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

So if a muslim man between the ages of 17-40 walks on your plane and is acting funny and reading a book about jihad, gets onto the plane because he was not searched because he said he didnt want to be searched and blws it up killing 250 people you would not be mad or sad , you would be ok with that because it was his right to say no i don't want to be searched.

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V

Of course I would be sad. I just think that the current direction of the government is such that its own "security" measures present a greater danger to us in the long-term than terrorism. When there are no firm lines regarding search and seizure, democracy itself breaks down.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

"First, we need an Amendment banning all government searches and seizures that involve personally touching anyone or their property without their consent without a warrant."

There needs to be exceptions to this rule for entering public transportation areas (such as airports, trains, etc...). And for entering government buildings (FBI offices, CIA headquarters, whitehouse, etc...).

I support #2.

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"If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the
impersonators would be dead.
-- Johnny Carson

I think that airlines and other providers of private transportation (I don't think the government should be involved in transportation in general) have an interest in keeping their passengers safe and so exceptions about transportation are unnecessary, but I agree that government buildings are government property and so government searches and seizures within the limits of property rights are acceptable within them.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

The solution to airline troubles:

Deregulate. Remove screening from federal control. Remove federal support and regulations for airline liability. Currently federal regulations limit airline liability.

I guarantee in 2 years, there will be private screening that is more effective and less intrusive all done by private airlines.

Their incentive would be lawsuits if they miss someone being screened.

Also, remove federal regulations for carrying guns on airlines, let private airlines determine requirements for letting them on.

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"A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." ~Thomas Paine

Those are excellent ideas. While I didn't, until now, know the particular facts you just listed, the basic process of the government causing a problem and then trying to figure out how to solve it is nothing new to me. Leave efficient solutions to the private sector. Having a father who regularly jokes and complains about the ridiculous bureaucracy involved in his career, a government job, has illustrated to me many times this public sector approach of spraying fires with gasoline- and sometimes unwittingly starting fires and then spraying them with gasoline.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Personally, I feel we need an amendment to nullify the 16th amendment and totally do away with income taxes. First and foremost, this could solve numerous problems within our infrastructure, and not just those dealing with GNP.