A few days ago, Sidney “Release the Kraken” Powell filed a “general demurrer and motion to dismiss” in the epic Georgia election racketeering case. (Along with former president Trump and others, Ms Powell is charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, trespass, and invasion of privacy.) Among other things, a footnote in her motion mentions that she lost her TSA PreCheck status because of the criminal allegations against her, so she now has to wait in Soviet-style screening lines at the airport like the rest of us.

Alas, as tempting as it is to roast Ms Powell for losing her PreCheck status (see here), let’s not lose sight of the larger issue: How unamerican it is to lose a public benefit without being convicted of anything yet! Or in the words of travel blogger Gary Leff: “There is no judicial review. If you antagonize someone at the Department of Justice or Department of Homeland Security, they can punish you completely outside of the rule of law.”