This is Bad Stuff
This is wrong, wrong, wrong. Yes, I know that there is a real risk, in fact a certainty, that dangerous people will be let out on the street. But that is the bias of our entire legal system - the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard and other protections of the accused routinely put bad people back on the street. We live with that, because we would rather err in putting bad people back on the street than in putting good people behind bars for life. Give them a trial, deport them, or let them go. Heck, airdrop them into Paris for all I care, but you have to let them get due process or go free.
Gene Hoffman:
You have made one assumption here that may not hold, namely dide stepping the hard issue of wether this is criminal justice or national enemy. Just placing it in the criminal justice camp may not be accurate.
In the past, these men were called pirates and summarily executed. If you weren't fighting for a nation and you were fighting against our armed forces you were granted no rights.
I'm not saying I like either choice, but be careful dismissing the negative side of this equation out of hand.
January 4, 2005, 12:13 am