A Two Tiered Approach to Justice
Now I have seen it all, America is taking a two tiered approach to justice. There is one type of justice for Americans and there is another type of justice for "radicals" , "enemies of the state" or as Bush likes to call them "military combatants".
I am not naive enough to think that terrorists must be afforded the same rights as perpetrators of crimes with state sponsored attorneys and long drawn out public trials, but I have to express my deep anguish over the current state of affairs. America is trading the rights of people, even bad people, but people all the same for national security. This is a very slippery slope that we tread on when it comes to changing what our forefather considered unalienable human rights.
I do believe that terrorists are a special case and no I do not want my tax dollars to be spent on defending a terrorist in an OJ Simpson-like trial on TV, but I also do not want people who may have been unfairly targeted to be taken out of the American justice loop.
I am concerned about justice for all. I am concerned about Presidential authorized wiretaps, I am concerned about banking records being audited by the CIA in Switzerland. But I also do not want my family to be killed by a terrorist attack that could have been prevented either from early information and pro-active intervention. This is the "Catch 22" the issue that goes in a loop with out resolution. I want fairness and justice for all, but can I really have it ever?
One military person I know said, "Don't be so naive, these things [private military tribunals] have been going on forever. Just because you did not know about them did not mean that they did not exist. Same for strident interrogation techniques. These have been used by the military with or without the sanction of the American people. We need to get results and information from these bad guys to protect our country."
I ask you personally this question, should there be a two tiered approach to justice? If you believe that there should not be, what should be done to the terrorist who is caught setting off a shrapnel bomb in a busy toy store that kills your wife and young child? Will you be caught in the "Catch 22 loop" like I am? My mantra may very well change from "Justice for all!" to "Justice for some!"
I am not naive enough to think that terrorists must be afforded the same rights as perpetrators of crimes with state sponsored attorneys and long drawn out public trials, but I have to express my deep anguish over the current state of affairs. America is trading the rights of people, even bad people, but people all the same for national security. This is a very slippery slope that we tread on when it comes to changing what our forefather considered unalienable human rights.
I do believe that terrorists are a special case and no I do not want my tax dollars to be spent on defending a terrorist in an OJ Simpson-like trial on TV, but I also do not want people who may have been unfairly targeted to be taken out of the American justice loop.
I am concerned about justice for all. I am concerned about Presidential authorized wiretaps, I am concerned about banking records being audited by the CIA in Switzerland. But I also do not want my family to be killed by a terrorist attack that could have been prevented either from early information and pro-active intervention. This is the "Catch 22" the issue that goes in a loop with out resolution. I want fairness and justice for all, but can I really have it ever?
One military person I know said, "Don't be so naive, these things [private military tribunals] have been going on forever. Just because you did not know about them did not mean that they did not exist. Same for strident interrogation techniques. These have been used by the military with or without the sanction of the American people. We need to get results and information from these bad guys to protect our country."
I ask you personally this question, should there be a two tiered approach to justice? If you believe that there should not be, what should be done to the terrorist who is caught setting off a shrapnel bomb in a busy toy store that kills your wife and young child? Will you be caught in the "Catch 22 loop" like I am? My mantra may very well change from "Justice for all!" to "Justice for some!"
Should there be a two-tiered approach to justice? NO!!!! How would you know what tier you were being tried on? We already have US citizens who have been arrested, deported, tortured, and denied every civil right (and later been found out to be wrongly accused) who have already fallen victim to the present Administration's refusal to follow American Law. With the way things are now. Anyone can be declared an enemy of the state if it is determined to be in the national interest. And who determines this? Why the very person who is making the rules!!!! With this distressing turn of events and Congress' vote to support it and to exonerate US government employees who have already violated both civil and international laws, everyone is in danger. This is more dangerous than any terrorist activity that you can ever imagine.....how long is it going to take before you become branded as a terrorist? Guess we will never know, but cause when you are spirited off to jail, we won't know where you are, there will be indication of how long you will be there, and when you come to trial, you will have no idea what it is that people said you did!!!!
Posted by Anonymous | Sat Sep 30, 11:39:00 PM EDT