Flight 781 from New York La Guardia to Chicago O’Hare International.
Arrive two hours early. Check.
No liquids in the carry-on. Check.
Wait in security line for 45 minutes. Check.
Remove shoes, belt and wallet. Check.
Walk through metal detector. Check.
Throw away bottle of forgotten antibacterial hand soap.
Stand with legs and arms spread for a random screening.
Reorganize bag after it was rifled through. Check. Check. Check.

To most people, this is a standard checklist that many travelers must tolerate due to the heightened security measures. But to others, it is a violation of our privacy and our rights as Americans. Is our freedom at risk, or is security the main priority?
Americans take pride in their freedoms: freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and belief. Americans live in a country based on democratic principles. Throughout history, Americans have fought to maintain that freedom; it is a constant battle between people and government, a steady compromise in action.
There is a fine line here- an agreement- that the government and the people must learn to walk together, as a democracy-safety to the left of the line, and our rights as American citizens to the right of the line. The thin line runs through the center of the two extremes, creating a middle ground that is neither right nor left, neither completely Democratic nor completely Republican.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government.”
FDR’s philosophy about the survival of our government is based on the principles of compromise. It is a system of give and take, checks and balances. The people must control the government, while the government must maintain the interests of the people. This is a complicated balancing act that we, as Americans, must understand. It is our right to question the government’s heightened security measures, and it is the government’s duty to protect its citizens. If the laws become too imposing, too extreme, it is the people’s responsibility to make sure that their liberty and power are not being taken away.
It is understandable for travelers to become irritated with such suffocating rules about what you can and can’t bring on board, and the lengthening lines that make travel more of an inconvenience than a freedom. This is a compromise that we as Americans must make with the government. We still maintain the freedom of travel, but we must make some compromises with our time and what we pack in our suitcases-to allow the government to maintain its strength and to protect our safety. The mental checklist is a burden on our schedule but not an infringement on our freedom.
Ultimately, it is up to us-to walk the line.
Meghan Townley is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.