In many states around our nation, you don't need a background check to buy a gun. But, if you have travel plans, be prepared for the authorities to do a little digging. The TSA has expanding passenger screenings, and they're checking a wide array of government databases before you even arrive at the airport. In addition to checking for your name on the “No-Fly” list, the Transportation Security Administration may be checking your car registration, past travel itineraries, property records, police records, or even your employment information. And, just to add insult to injury, the TSA may share what they find with “a debt collection agency for the purpose of debt collection.”

Similar programs have been used for some time to evaluate travelers coming in to the United States, but now they'll be used for domestic travel under the guise of identifying “low-risk” travelers for faster screening at the airport. If the TSA determines you fit into that category, you can sail through security with your shoes on, and laptops still in your carry-on. However, if the agency decides you pose any risk, you could be subjected to repeated searches.

And, if you feel you've been incorrectly profiled for the enhanced screenings, you're forced to appeal to the Department of Homeland Security. As of last March, 13,000 people had asked for a review, but civil liberty groups and travelers say that their requests simply disappear into a “black hole.” Somehow, despite Americans protesting government spying, we're being subjected to more of it – not less. Our government is committing an outright assault on our privacy, and Americans are fed up. Our forefathers wrote the Forth Amendment to protect us, and it's about time that our government start respecting it.