I read your recent Left Field column ("Reefer Madness," March 17) on
the Tannahill family's lone stand in resistance to an unwarranted
search of their child with great interest. If only citizens
understood how much the Constitution meant to our forefathers, as the
Tannahills seem to. Unfortunately, it appears the majority of the
country either has no clue what it means, or lives in fear of
repercussions from the ruling class that is attempting to nullify the
sacred document in the name of "safety," just as Benjamin Franklin had
warned us. I don't recall the exact quote, and I have seen it
attributed to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as well, but one
of them had this to say: "Those who would sacrifice essential liberty
for temporary safety, deserve neither freedom, nor safety."

I'd like to ask your readers if they are capable of understanding what
that means. Thank you, citizens of Lubbock, for caving in to peer
pressure and sacrificing your children's rights under the Fourth
Amendment, setting a precedent for further government intrusion.
Larry Tannahill and his family are true patriots. People like this
deserve more support than your whispers, but it appears that the rose
isn't the only thing in Texas that's yellow....

Come on, restore my faith in humanity and stand up for what you know
is right.

Christopher A. Joseph