DUI Checkpoints, Unconstitutional?

[Gtownoe]

Some Americans simply don't get it. They do not understand how profound the issue is.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by ropes1981

It is 100% people such as yourself that will be the ruination of this country. So going by your logic "if you have nothing to hide", the government should be allowed to enter your house without a warrant...cause hey, "if you have nothing to hide". They should be allowed to go through emails at will because "if you have nothing to hide". It really is amazing.

Exactly!

And that's why we have the Fourth Amendment. It's to protect us from the government and the Founding Fathers knew it was important to have protections against bad government.

[crestliner]

Esay.Its not about have nothing to hide..who cares what you hide...It is about being able to show you have a legal right to be here...Run back across the border and then we wont be asking you anything..Dont worry about saying nothing to hide....That is not the issue...your identity IS the issue....we got rules

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Gtownoe

Some Americans simply don't get it. They do not understand how profound the issue is.

True.

When we give up on the Fourth Amendment we might as well give up on the Constitution.

[Gtownoe]

How would you even bring up the constitutionality of a DUI checkpoint? Would you have to file an independent case claiming its unconstitutional, or could you argue it in a criminal case?

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by JoshB

Do you guys believe that DUI checkpoints are unconstitutional? What gets me is that they don't have any reason to stop you, the 4th amendment protects us from unreasonable search and seizure. I'm thrilled to see no threads like this have ever been started here in the "Great Debates" forum.

It seems to me clearly contrary to the spirit of the 4th Amendment. If you are not suspected of a crime, you should not be subject to roadside search, which is what the checkpoints are.

Constitution notwithstanding, it is being done probably every day on a road somewhere in America. The last gov in my state, Christine Gregoire, a nanny-statist dem, tried to get the checkpoints enacted, but fortunately the ACLU was there to slap her down.

A businessman that I knew when I was a young pup told me that "a contract is only as good as the two parties who sign it." The same principle applies to the Constitution.