[voiper1]

I wasn't quoting the US 4th amendment to say it's illegal. Rather to refute the argument "you have nothing to hide" -- the US government was founded with the ideal that it's simply not true. People are entitled to privacy. Simply hand-waving it away requires proof, not the other way.

[procombo]

Certainly. The Constitution is a guide to what the visionary founders had in their mind for the new nation. It shouldn't be law directly, but a light to help citizens realize what a balance of power looks like.

In the meantime we want to keep our shoes on at the aiport so we actually pay the government and agree to let them perform ongoing, perpetual background searches on us "to maintain eligibility". :)