Are We Losing Our Rights?

This week several potentially dangerous news reports popped into my email. These stories have one thing in common: the loss of personal freedom. It may be a case where each issue, of itself, is small, but added together gives the appearance of a definite shift. Here are links to the articles:

High school seniors in Minnesota required to take breathalyzer test before attending graduation practice. Why? Not at the request of police, but because a parent reported smelling alcohol on students’ breath. All were tested. No parents were notified prior to the action. The school’s reasoning? They were concerned students might be driving following the practice. No one argues that underage drinking is bad but what is to stop schools from requiring breathalyzers or drug tests on all students, just because?

In Colorado police received a tip that a bank robber was at a particular intersection. They swooped in and halted all traffic, then proceeded to handcuff the adults in 19 cars at the intersection while they searched for the robber. Handcuffed just for being at an intersection? The police reaction? They caught the robber…therefore, the end justified the means.

We’ve heard about Mayor Bloomberg’s soft drink restriction plan (that goes along with the no salt rules and no smoking in public parks) in New York City. One has to wonder how far will the government go to protect us from ourselves? In the Huffington article they ask, “If government is within its right to restrict behavior to protect health, then why wouldn’t a mayor or other official ban risky sexual conduct or dangerous sports like skydiving? What’s to stop a mayor from requiring people to wear a certain type of sunscreen or limit the amount of time they can spend on the beach, to protect them from skin cancer?”

 A physician in Arizona was thrown out of a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Their reason? He was a lone male shopping in the children’s section. A female patron reported him to the staff. It did not matter that he was shopping for his grandchildren. The store has since apologized but not before first standing by their decision of forcibly removing a completely innocent shopper from their premises.

Companies in the US and abroad are promoting implanting all babies with a microchip. Touted as an efficient way to manage people this Orwellian barcode would certainly allow Big Brother to watch and record your every move. Frightening? It should be.

Many in our government seem to believe we cannot take care of ourselves. They act as though ‘they’ know best and that a nanny state is the most responsible course of action. As we hear more stories of law enforcement agencies using drones and other “spy planes” to watch citizen actions we need to ask ourselves, “Are we losing our freedom?” Our Constitution guarantees us certain rights and at the same time limits the government. It’s time for citizens to stand up and speak out. If we don’t this police state mentality will continue to grow.