Police-state, anyone?

I am all for combating terror and using local law enforcement to do it, but this is the outside of enough.

One of the great things about America is that citizens do not have to carry identification papers. Sure, drivers licenses are necessary for certain things. But, all in all, we don't have to present proof of who we are for just walking down the street or sitting in the lobby of a hotel we are staying in.

AP: Miami Police Take New Tack Against Terror---

Miami police announced Monday they will stage random shows of force at hotels, banks and other public places to keep terrorists guessing and remind people to be vigilant.

Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said officers might, for example, surround a bank building, check the ID's of everyone going in and out and hand out leaflets about terror threats.

"This is an in-your-face type of strategy. It's letting the terrorists know we are out there," Fernandez said.

The operations will keep terrorists off guard, Fernandez said. He said al-Qaida and other terrorist groups plot attacks by putting places under surveillance and watching for flaws and patterns in security.

Police Chief John Timoney said there was no specific, credible threat of an imminent terror attack in Miami. But he said the city has repeatedly been mentioned in intelligence reports as a potential target.

Timoney also noted that 14 of the 19 hijackers who took part in the Sept. 11 attacks lived in South Florida at various times and that other alleged terror cells have operated in the area.

Both uniformed and plainclothes police will ride buses and trains, while others will conduct longer-term surveillance operations.

"People are definitely going to notice it," Fernandez said. "We want that shock. We want that awe. But at the same time, we don't want people to feel their rights are being threatened. We need them to be our eyes and ears."

Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida, said the Miami initiative appears aimed at ensuring that people's rights are not violated.

"What we're dealing with is officers on street patrol, which is more effective and more consistent with the Constitution," Simon said. "We'll have to see how it is implemented." (emphasis added)

I don't know about you, but if the police randomly showed up at a private business I was shopping at, it would scare me to death. A "show of force"? To me, that implies banging open doors, shouting, and invasion of privacy. I would think the building were under attack.

As for the "surround[ing] a bank building, check[ing] the ID's of everyone going in and out," what gives the police the right to do such a thing when no crime has been committed? If I'm just out grocery shopping, the police haven't the right to demand my ID, especially when I have done nothing wrong.

Hotels, banks, stores, and the like are usually privately owned and operated. It would be one thing to do this at, for example, the county courthouse or a city-owned stadium. It is entirely another to do so in other instances.

What really amazes me is that the police can harass ordinary, honest citizens, but in many places can't question someone's immigration status.

Why don't we focus on illegals and terrorists, rather than scaring and harassing good citizens?