THE CONSTITUTION IN LUBBOCK

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

Editor's Note:

On March 23, the Lockney School Board upheld its drug-testing despite the
likelihood of a lawsuit. Parent Larry Tannahill told the Associated Press,
"I'm not happy with it and I'm not happy with how they are trying to mandate
it to everyone. If [court] is where we have to go, it is where we have to
go."