Interesting piece on NY subway bag searches.

Not really a big fan of Reason, but this article/editorial/comment on the NY subway bag searches is pretty interesting. Oh, and pretty short.

But if the illusion of security won't fool the terrorists, at least it fools the public. "I see it also as giving some comfort to the riding public," said Commissioner Kelly. "Reassuring the public is a legitimate objective," said RAND's terrorism expert. "You might say, dismissively, it's just to make people feel better. But we shouldn't dismiss it." ......

As I read the relevant Supreme Court decisions, if the police said they would be randomly searching bags for drugs, unlicensed guns, or other contraband, mentioning in passing that of course they would also arrest anyone they happened to find with a bomb, the searches would be unconstitutional. But since they've said they are randomly searching bags for bombs, mentioning in passing that of course they will also arrest anyone found with drugs, an unlicensed gun, or other contraband, the searches probably will be upheld.