Experts Debate Including All Americans in DNA Database

"As DNA databases expand, experts wonder if it is only a matter of time before all Americans will be included."

"National Academies, which advises the country on science issues, those experts debated the benefits and risks of such a database. A larger database could help solve crimes more quickly, a proponent argued, but it would also violate civil liberties, an opponent claimed."

There's nothing to debate here. The issue is clear. Should we consider ourselves guilty until proven innocent, or innocent until proven guilty? Well as Americans, we long ago chose the latter, with all it's obvious consequences, summed up simply as; "it's better to let a guilty man go free, than convict the innocent". So the issue is clear, if you're a real American, then you should insist on retaining the innocent until proven guilty principle. Period.

The problem is that the state, along with their media promoters have established such a state of fear of crime in the citizens, that many choose to give up basic American principles, just to keep them safe. You've heard these people, they all chant the same song; "if you have nothing to hide, then why should you object". That's about as unAmerican as you can get, because it promotes the idea that we should all be treated as guilty of something, and that the state should monitor our every move, so that they can try to anticipate a crime before it happens, which in theory, should ultimately keep us all safe. That should not be the attitude of anyone who claims to live in a free country.

The problem that this attitude creates, is one in which allowed....no, insisted, that police setup random checkpoints, in order to catch drunk drivers. But wait, isn't that a good thing? Look at all the traffic deaths that have occurred as a result of drunks behind the wheels. They always catch at least a few drunks before they cause an accident, so it's worth it, right? Well, actually, no, it's not worth it. It means that all drivers in a certain area are considered criminals until they prove themselves sober, and thus innocent. It means a reversal of the innocent until proven guilty concept. And just so you know, I've lost relatives to drunk drivers myself, and I still hold those checks to be anti-American.

The problem is, that after setting such a precedent, there's no real reason to stop there, after all, those sobriety checkpoints have the endorsement of the Supreme Court. Why not carry it further. We know that there are a certain number of murders committed in this country every day, so let's have the police setup random checks of everyone to determine if they're carrying any weapons on the way to murder someone. Also to check if they possess any evidence that the crime has already been committed. We know there are a number of robberies and burglaries taking place, so let the police check everyone for the criminal tools-of-the-trade for those crimes, as well as checking for stolen property. We know a number of children are kidnapped and/or molested, so everyone seen with a child should be stopped to determine if those crimes are in progress.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Yes, it's the old slippery slope arguement. Don't think it's valid? Then why the hell is there any kind of debate going on about collecting DNA from everyone? The "attitude" is there, and real, and intends to take away every aspect of what it means to live in a free society as an American. If you are not guilty of any crime, and there is no eveidence that points to you as a suspect, then you should not be expected to have to defend yourself in any way, shape, or form. That means you should not have to submit to giving any evidence of yourself, in the form of DNA (or any bio-samples), for the purpose of prosecuting some future crime.

Innocent until proven guilty, is not as easy in practice as it sounds. The hardest part is living with the consequences, but that's the principle this nation was built upon, and it's a defeatist that claims it's an outdated concept. In fact, it's a coward that believes that we should all be guilty until proven innocent. A coward who lives in fear of, not their own shadow, but the shadow of others, and needs the comforting embrace of state authority to give them a false feeling of security, and above all, to "make them safe".