William S. Lerach thinks so. In an article in Huffington Post he writes –

I recognize that many people believe this is necessary to assure safe flying and are willing to put up with it. But I believe it is wrong. I do not want to debate intricacies of whether the Fourth Amendment allows government bureaucrats to impose these kinds of searches daily on millions of Americans who are demonstrably honest, law-abiding people who pose no threat to anyone. I’m pretty sure it does prohibit this, but even if it doesn’t I am offended at a government that does this to its people. If conservatives and Tea Party types object to centralized power in Washington they should certainly hate this situation. If liberals treasure in our constitutional guarantees of freedom of movement and protection from unreasonable searches they should certainly hate this situation.

Everybody ought to be concerned with what is being done to us by a government that is seizing more power and stripping away more of our individual freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism. Face it — the terrorists have already won. Look what they have turned this country into. That bin Laden must be doubled over in laughter in some cave over in Pakistan when he contemplates how he has disrupted the life of the people in this country. There has to be a better way — a way that is less offensive to our notions of privacy and individual liberty — to keep bombers off airplanes.

If you’ve been following what I’ve said, you’re hearing the same things. We are making ourselves a terrorist laughing stock by giving in to our government’s bizarre ideas of protection. As long as we live in fear the terrorists and our government can lead us around like puppy dog on a short chain.

Do you like that vision of yourself? – not a man, not a woman, not an American but a small helpless animal. That’s what we’re becoming.

I’m not that frightened. Are you?

James Pilant