Giving up Freedom in the Guise of Security

Have you flown since 9/11?  If you are like me, you avoid it at all costs.  Not because of the risk of terrorist attacks, or because of the ridiculous prices that keep increasing, but because of the fact that we are no longer treated as human beings with basic rights.  When you choose to fly on a plane, you are choosing to lose your basic civil rights.  To me, the tradeoff is simply not worth it.

The last time I flew was when my mother died in 2003.  I flew home from two states away to be with my family, and because I knew I would be staying awhile, I bought a one-way ticket.  Well, in the world of aviation, flying one-way automatically classifies you as a terrorist threat.  I will never forget the special treatment I got on that day, just hours after learning my mother was gone.

In the years since, the regulations have only tightened, to the point of extremism.  Now, toddlers are stripped and invalids are forced to remove their incontinence products, all in the name of keeping us safe.  Does anyone actually believe this will stop a determined terrorist from attacking us?  I don't, not even for a second.  So why do we allow these rules to ever encroach on our rights?  Can someone tell me exactly what we have gained by implementing these suffocating rules?

The only benefit I can see is for the government.  All that extra control has got to be great for their egos, and keeping a tighter grip on us wayward citizens is sure to solve some of their own problems.  What I don't get is why we are still passively lining up to strip, walk through radiation-filled X-ray machines, and quietly standing by while children are all but molested in order to keep us "safe". 

What we need is fewer rules and regulations, and a return to a world where everyone is innocent.  I'm tired of feeling suspicious of my neighbors.