Print
* U.S. DRUG WAR SHRINKING BILL OF RIGHTS

WASHINGTON: That headline above is nothing new to our readers. We have chronicled the assault on American rights ever since our inception in 1997, both under the drug war and the anti-terrorism war. And some of the worst assaults have been on the Fourth Amendment that once guaranteed against abusive searches of one's home or office. Not any more. The latest is police dogs sniffing automobiles without any probable cause except "because they can." As one columnist notes: "Freedoms are eroding because too many Americans fail to understand the consequences of encouraging the political class to try to protect us from all real and imagined ills; whether it be a terrorist, a disease, bad weather, a more efficient competitor, our own personal financial stupidity or irresponsibility."

_________________________________________