We cannot begin to think we have any kind of National Security otherwise.
2 years ago I chartered a boat for deep sea fishing. The Coast Guard radioed our captain to stop and they were coming aboard. No reason, just a random spot check. They held us up for about a half hour. Searched the whole boat for anything not meeting regulations, checked all of the fish holds for under sized fish, species of fish, etc. We hadn’t even started fishing yet. Finally they told the captain he needed to get new flares his were too old. They left us with a warning, no citations. The Captain was actually surprised to know his flares may not have been any good, and gave us an additional hour of fishing to make up for the embarassment.
Thinking about it afterwards, I realized these kinds of situations are a necessary evil we have to deal with. The Coast Guard guys were doing there job for the benefit of our safety.
That's my point too. Not a police state...just the way things need to be in a civilized society.