On a cold night in December, 1773, a small group of men dumped over 300 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to prove a point. This act would forever after be known as the Boston Tea Party, and would live as a symbol of liberty in American history. Roughly 240 years later, the entire city of Boston was brought to its knees by the actions of two brothers who are currently suspected of detonating a device at the Boston City Marathon finish line (I say suspected because there has not yet been a trial). However, as horrific as the bombing was, it was not the explosion that is the real travesty here, but the city's reaction to it.
Just in case you're not sure what exactly is wrong with what happened in Boston, and more specifically what happened in this video, let me remind you of a small clause in the Bill of Rights:
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
In this video we can see a small example of what happened all around Boston. SWAT teams evacuated people from their own homes and searched private properties for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of the two brothers suspected of being the Boston City Marathon bombers. However, this is in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights. These people, being taken from their homes and told to keep their hands over their heads as they leave are far from secure in their persons, houses, etc.
Now there are those people who will argue that 'there was a suspected terrorist on the loose, so of course the searches were reasonable.' However, without a warrant these officers have no right to search these homes because they do not have warrants, and warrants could not be issued without probable cause supported by oath or affirmation. The residents of Boston rolled over and submitted themselves to unconstitutional and un-American behavior by the city's police. (And what else could they do? Sue the city after the fact? Refuse to be searched and likely be arrested or shot?)
I will get straight to the point here. Americans' rights are not suggestions, nor are they archaic ideas that can be tossed aside in a time of crisis (unless you're in Boston apparently). My encouragement and challenge to you is this: Know your rights. Stand up for them.
This is America. The land of the Free and the home of the Brave. We are not cowards to be led from our own houses at gunpoint by those who are sworn to "serve and protect." We are a free people. Let us live like a free people.
Now there are those people who will argue that 'there was a suspected terrorist on the loose, so of course the searches were reasonable.' However, without a warrant these officers have no right to search these homes because they do not have warrants, and warrants could not be issued without probable cause supported by oath or affirmation. The residents of Boston rolled over and submitted themselves to unconstitutional and un-American behavior by the city's police. (And what else could they do? Sue the city after the fact? Refuse to be searched and likely be arrested or shot?)
I will get straight to the point here. Americans' rights are not suggestions, nor are they archaic ideas that can be tossed aside in a time of crisis (unless you're in Boston apparently). My encouragement and challenge to you is this: Know your rights. Stand up for them.
This is America. The land of the Free and the home of the Brave. We are not cowards to be led from our own houses at gunpoint by those who are sworn to "serve and protect." We are a free people. Let us live like a free people.
RSS Feed