A NEEDED BLOW FOR PRIVACY

It's a mixed bag, the U. S. Supreme Court's approach to search and
seizure. Sometimes the court has seemed reasonable, as in ruling that
police must ask bus passengers' consent or get a search warrant to look
through their bags for drugs; sometimes it has seemed to stretch the
Constitution, such as when it permitted police to fly over a backyard to
see what is on the ground. But they were right on target in Monday's
ruling prohibiting the use of heat sensors to "see" what ordinarily
cannot be seen inside buildings. Oregon police were investigating a
neighbor and when they saw "hot spots" inside another home, went in and
arrested Danny Lee Kyllo for growing marijuana. The justices said this
is unconstitutional without a warrant, and rightly so.

Modern technology is making all of us increasingly open to silent
invasion from the outside, and we need firm guidelines to protect our
right to privacy. It is good to see the Supreme Court agreeing, at least
in this case.