A win for common sense

Civil libertarians in New York City have lost their court challenge to end NYPD-led random bag searches in the New York transit system.

From the New York Daily News:

Common sense wins on bag searches

In upholding the NYPD's right to conduct random bag searches in the transit system, Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Berman yesterday cited the expertise of law enforcement officials who deemed the policy an effective deterrent to suicide bombers. "Because the threat of terrorism is great, and the consequences of unpreparedness may be catastrophic," he declared, "it would seem foolish not to rely upon those qualified persons in the best position to know."

"Foolish." Nice choice of word. Since it is equally applicable to the New York Civil Liberties Union for suing in an attempt to end the searches as unconstitutional. Alas, the NYCLU rarely appears to know when it is being foolish. Witness its comment that the city's rationale for the search policy was "vague and unsupported by the facts."

The civil libertarians might consider visiting Ground Zero, where any vagueness about terrorism dissipates like ashes on the wind. Or London, where suicide bombers staged bloody subway attacks. But no. The NYCLU, which occupies space in a building where all bags are searched, chased its tail throughout this case while offering up unsupportable yammerings. For example, it asked Berman to rule the random searches unconstitutional because there were not enough of them - as if the NYCLU would ever accept a search-everyone policy.

No rational being believes New York can guarantee protection from a terror attack. The most the city and its leaders can do is try their best and utilize proven deterrents. Such as random searches. Thank you, Judge Berman, for recognizing that the Constitution is not being rent asunder, but that untold transit riders just could be, considering this town remains in Al Qaeda's blood-spattered sights.

When will civil libertarians accept the realities of Islamofascism?