Pubdate: Mon, 20 Aug 2007
Source: Asheville Citizen-Times (NC)
Copyright: 2007 Asheville Citizen-Times
Contact:  http://www.citizen-times.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/863
Author: Martin Fullington
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n942/a09.html

RANDOM DRUG TEST IS AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL SEARCH

Regarding the story, "Judge hears drug test case," (AC-T, August 8):
I'm a teacher. You could drug test me daily until I retire and find
nothing. That doesn't stop me from opposing random drug testing for
anyone, including those who bag groceries.

Our nation's founders, for good reasons, built safeguards against
unreasonable searches, so if you have no reason to suspect me of
taking drugs, don't test me. The deterrent value in such testing is
not worth forsaking essential American beliefs. We have become so
willing to sacrifice rights for the sake of fighting "terrorism" (a
term used so loosely now that it gets incorporated into meaningless
phrases like "cultural terrorism") that we are losing sight of
essential elements of the American identity, like freedom from
unreasonable search.

If you suspect me of drug use, test me using the legal system so that
I can at least know why. Don't just pull my name out of a hat.

Martin Fullington
- ---
MAP posted-by: Derek