HOMELAND SECURITY: RESPECT CIVIL RIGHTS

Americans have a right to move about without fear of being
groundlessly stopped by law enforcement. As far as we know, that
constitutional right applies to all Americans, not just the minority
who live far removed from the nation's borders.

In what is proving to be a sweeping Bush administration security
initiative, the Department of Homeland Security has expanded use of
its authority to operate within 100 miles of the border. That has come
to include increasingly frequent use of roadblocks in Western Washington.

Much of the activity has occurred around Bellingham and Port Angeles.
As the Seattle P-I's Paul Shukovsky reported, it has become routine to
check an intercity bus on the Olympic Peninsula at least weekly,
subjecting each passenger to questioning about his or her citizenship
papers. The Border Patrol maintains it could exercise its authority in
Seattle, as well.

Indeed, by American Civil Liberties Union calculations based on U.S.
Census Bureau data, nearly two-thirds of Americans live within 100
miles of either a land border or the coast. That alone ought to show
why it's important that the ACLU plans to test the continuing
expansion of border-related powers in court.

There's also the matter of priorities and effectiveness. Just last
month, U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan had to tell the Border Patrol his
office didn't want to see any more small marijuana possession cases
from the roadblocks.

A disabled veteran said that despite Sullivan's decision to drop
charges related to his use of medical marijuana, he remained shaken.
As with so many Bush administration security policies, this seems to
be neither effective nor respectful of fundamental rights. If the
Obama administration doesn't make changes, the courts must sort out
the matter.