November 30, 2005

Deborah Davis

Deborah Davis may be the civil liberties, anti-big brother Rosa Parks of our times.

She's an unlikely candidate, a 50-year-old mother of four, with one of her sons serving in Iraq. And she was just reading a book on a public bus in Denver, minding her own business, when, suddenly, she stood up for the Constitution.

You see, Davis was asked by a federal guard to produce identification papers -- yes right here in the U.S.A. -- before the bus route wended its way through federal property. It wasn't top secret federal property. In fact, the land housed Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Geological Survey and National Archives offices.

She wasn't getting off the bus in the federal area. She was just passing through, but she knew her rights. "I told him that I did have identification, but I wasn't going to show it to him," Davis commented. "The whole thing seemed to be more about compliance than security."

For acting on behalf of those of us who believe we are not living in the Soviet Union and do not have to show identification papers to government agents on demand, Deborah Davis is a heroine of liberty.

As noted in the Denver Post commentary on Davis, who sees herself as just an average American, "let's hope more Americans act like Deb Davis, not another partisan hack playing the victim, but an average American who questions government intrusion into our private and public lives."

Davis faces a December 9th court arraignment. She deserves our support and receives this week's BuzzFlash "Wings of Justice Award."

* * *

Nominated by the BuzzFlash Staff.

Note: The audio, at the misdirection of BuzzFlash, attributes the Davis quote to the "Denver Times." The quote was published in the Denver Post.

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