The Constitution-Free Zone of the United States

Nearly 2 out of 3 Americans live within 100 miles of US land and coastal borders.

Click on the map picture above, and you will be taken to the ACLU website.  People who know me will be shocked that I would link to the ACLU, and will be even more shocked to know that I agree with them!  (At least on some things.)  In recent years, a great many things which I consider to be un-American have been done in the name of “The War on Terror”.  The ACLU, Libertarians, and true liberals and conservatives have been resisting these actions.  The Constitution-Free Zone dictated by Homeland Security is but one of them.  My thanks go out to my friend Rex Brocki, of Yakima, who made me aware of this issue on his radio show, which can be heard weekdays at 2PM PT, on-line at Restore the Republic Radio.

The issue revolves around 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.  The ACLU points out that historically, courts have given the government greater flexibility when conducting searches, if it involves border security.  The Bush administration has latched onto that, and by REGULATION granted itself power to conduct “border” searches up to 100 miles inland from land and water borders.  The ACLU created this map to illustrate how widespread this area is.  With 2/3 of the population within this declared area, alarm bells should be going off across America.

This area is so large, that entire states are being denied 4th Amendment protections.  Sorry if you are a resident of Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  The Constitution no longer applies in your state.

Here in Washington, most of the state is not covered by the US Constitution.  93.94% of the state population is within the Constitution-Free Zone.

As a commercial truck driver, I was subject to these types of searches on multiple occasions.  Federal Border Patrol agents stopped me in California and Texas several times, asked me questions, and sometimes even used X-Ray machines on my truck-trailer.  Sometimes this was done within a few miles of the border, but I also was stopped 50-100 miles inland from the border in west Texas.  As a federally regulated driver, I had no choice but to accept the searches.  However, this type of treatment is now being extended to everyone, whether a truck driver or not.  All Americans are now subject to being stopped at checkpoints, and being asked to provide “papers” in order to move about the country.  We should not accept infringement on our right to travel within our own country, by our own government.  If you are ever “asked” for permission, in order for agents to search you, or your vehicle: Just Say No!  Do not give up your rights for no good reason.

Our children and future generations of Americans will thank us for protecting the rights and freedoms that we inherited ourselves.