Enough already with the government's absurd and abusive "no-fly list," argues Steve Chapman in Reason. Our constitutional rights to move about without restriction — a fundamental and valuable liberty — and not be subject to unreasonable searches have been discarded in favor of a security practice that doesn't even work. Here's an excerpt:
The whole idea behind the list doesn't make much sense. Supposedly, we have hundreds or even thousands of U.S. residents who are too dangerous to be allowed on a plane—but safe enough to be trusted in all sorts of other places (subway trains, sports venues, shopping malls, skyscrapers) where someone carrying a bomb or a gun could wreak havoc.
If those on the list are truly dangerous, the government should arrest and prosecute them, with their guilt decided by courts. If they are not dangerous enough to arrest, they should have the same freedom to travel as everyone else.
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We don't prohibit all ex-convicts from flying. How can we justify barring people convicted of nothing?
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