Your statement was
" But that was 218 years ago, and times were different. "
Am I supposed to believe that you meant something other then the laws that were set down at that time are not applicable NOW ? What DID you mean by that ?
"Thumb prints at ALL entry ports, fine, we can track the movements of suspects easier."
But thumb prints at ALL entry points are NOT applicable to citizens at this time - That is simply not the issue here as it is NOT what the law allows.
CBP is NOT authorized to track citizens movements.
"I've always been a believer in the concept of those who live outside the law should not be allowed to hide behind it when they are caught"
These ARE CITIZENS, who have not broken any laws, were not informed that they were being investigated for any possible breaking of laws, and it is reported that they were in fact LIED to by CBP who said they were pulled out on random checks.
"In fact, creating a common federally-mandated ID will make life easier for everyone."
You allready seem to have no problem with CBP agents ignoring valid documents, and subjecting targeted citizens to unwarrented delays - now you want to expand this to the interior of the country ?
Simply, the 18th Century is not the 21st Century, that was evident if you read the entire statement.
Citizen ID's could easily be Passports, and include fingerprinting. How does that impinge on your freedom? These ARE CITIZENS, who have not broken any lawsHow do you know they are innocent? You cannot know any more than you can call them guilty? They are presumed innocent, but their actions can make them appear guilty and this is why a PROFESSIONAL may want to dig deeper. The members of the terrorist cell in Buffalo contained citizens, too.
Times have changed,pal, the 19 monsters that crashed the planes on 9/11 were all Moslems, and that alone is enough for suspicion.