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June 6, 2005
61st Anniversary of D-Day
Today is the 61st anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of mainland Western Europe at Normandy, France. Thousands of Allied soldiers died on the five landing beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah, but Omaha is where they were really slaughtered. These brave, altruistic men ran headlong into machine gun nests, making the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be free. And how do we repay their memory? We're scared to get on an airplane and sit next to a stranger without trampling on their constitutional rights. They must be searched (violating 4th amendment), disarmed (violating 2nd amendment), muzzled (violating 1st amendment), identified and checked against a no-fly list (violating 9th amendment).
We used to laugh at how serfs in Germany and the Soviet Union had to show papers to the authorities when traveling domestically. Papers Please. Who's laughing now? Modern domestic air travel in the U.S. bears the hallmarks of a repressive regime.
If you think it makes sense to search people when they go into Disney World, a court room, or travel on planes, then why not search them on trains, buses, and light-rail? Why not search people when they cross state lines? Or go into a Wal-mart? Are we just one suicide bomber away from being searched when we go to the grocery store?
The Allied soldiers died so that we could be free. Shouldn't we stand up for our constitutional rights that they died to protect? Where are we headed as a society? Remember, it's not just your rights that you're giving up, but the rights of your children and grandchildren. What kind of world will they grow up in? Are our constitutional rights secure, or did all of those soldiers die in vain? Take a minute to stop and think about it on today, the Day of Days.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on June 6, 2005 at 1:59 PM
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