Where Am I?

When I was growing up, the country I lived in observed a rule of law known as habeus corpus, which essentially meant that anyone arrested would be able to get his day in court. Every American had the right to a speedy trial.

There was a new TV show on tonight called Traveler that we watched, about a couple of innocent, ordinary guys in the wrong place at the wrong time who become suspected of terrorism. The FBI threatens them with being treated as enemy combatants and shipped to Gitmo.

When I was growing up, we were taught that we were innocent until proven guilty. We were taught that if we became suspected of a crime, our best bet was to turn ourselves in so we could prove we were innocent.

I'm no longer sure these things I was taught still apply. If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time today, what's to stop you from being squirreled away in Guantanamo Bay, incommunicado, without access to a lawyer, and tortured for information? Is it still advisable to turn oneself in? It's getting so I hardly recognize the justice system anymore.


Posted by Dave    Blog Tag: Opinion