If You Have Nothing to Hide, You Have Nothing to Fear

I’ve been listening to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History a lot and recent made the jump to his Common Sense podcast. In the most recent episode of Common Sense Dan talks a little bit about the NSA and those people who say something to the effect of “If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear.” He shared with his listeners a story about a man named David Eckert.

David Eckert is currently suing the City of Deming and Deming Police Officers, Hidalgo County Deputies, the Deputy District Attorney Daniel Dougherty and the Gila Regional Medical Center. You see, David was stopped for a routine “failure to stop at a stop sign” stop. He was asked to step out of his vehicle and reportedly appeared to be “clenching his buttocks”. The search warrant indicates that there were some other factors. Eckert “looked nervous”, was clenching his buttocks, a drug detecting dog alerted on the driver’s seat (even though no drugs were found in the car or on Eckert), and another officer claimed that Eckert was known for hiding drugs in his anus. In other words, subjectivity, stupid police dog, and hearsay where enough to get a warrant and torture David Eckert. A man who seemingly had nothing to hide.

This is what they did to Eckert over the next 14 hours:

1. Eckert’s abdominal area was x-rayed; no narcotics were found.
2. Doctors then performed an exam of Eckert’s anus with their fingers; no narcotics were found.
3. Doctors performed a second exam of Eckert’s anus with their fingers; no narcotics were found.
4. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
5. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema a second time. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
6. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema a third time. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
7. Doctors then x-rayed Eckert again; no narcotics were found.
8. Doctors prepared Eckert for surgery, sedated him, and then performed a colonoscopy where a scope with a camera was inserted into Eckert’s anus, rectum, colon, and large intestines. No narcotics were found.

(source)

The next time someone tells you, “If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear.” remember the name David Eckert.