I guess that anyone who has lived in Boston for a substantial period of time knows just how competent and well run our public transportations agency is. About a month ago, they started a new campaign that, supposedly, will increase security throughout the system. At first, the policy consisted of random ID checks. The idea was that MBTA police would question people behaving suspiciously; if you refused to show your ID, it was understood that you were waiving your right to ride the T. But, recent revisions to this policy now mean that not only will be people asked for ID, but their bags will be searched. The method of this, as advertised, is by bomb sniffing equipment or dogs, and, at last resort, physical rummaging.

As if this policy alone was not enough, during the DNC (when most highways will be closed and people forced to take public transportation,) the T is prohibiting any bags on the system. So lawyers can not bring their briefcases and people can’t go shopping. This is absurd. Frankly, it seems like th hassles of the DNC are going to outweigh its benefits. Bostonians are basically being asked to put their lives on hold for a week because of this event. Frankly, I think that people are already disillusioned with politics, and the democratic party at that. This ain’t gonna help. It is unfortunate that the democratic party is succumbing to the same fears so often propigated by our republican friends. I think people are not realizing that absolute freedom and secutiry can not both be had. We try to protect our freedoms by increasing security, but really have the effect of undermining that which we are trying to save.

I’ve always liked the T, I don’t know why. Maybe because, even though it is run by idiots, there is something cool about it. For a small city, it is pretty expansive, and the green line is the oldest subway in the country. It’s a point of pride. But now with these new baggage searches, which are being indirectly sanctioned by the deomcratic party, I’m scared it will become a point of shame. T officials say how they are proud that this is the first program of its kind in the country… I’m scared. If we are to be constantly screened and checked everywhere public we go, what little bit of civic pride and notions of responsibility left will soon degrade. If we live in fear of our neighbor, the guy on the train next to us, the stranger on the street, we foreclose the processes of learning, growth and acceptance. This is not the country I wish to be a part of.

So next time you see a poster on a T train or bus which attempts to scare you, ask yourself if fear will really make us stronger or whether it will signify victory for those intent on destroying our great experiment.