It's The "Rights" Thing To Do

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

   First things first. I think the men that bombed Boston are despicable, good riddance to the dead one and may his brother suffer every day of his life for their actions. It is my complete belief that any and all who engage in the murder of innocent people to bring attention to their particular cause should suffer endlessly and experience the pain in measure which they so casually inflict on others.

   I have no sympathy for these individuals, and I believe that no punishment is too harsh for them

   That being said, I also believe all American citizens should be afforded the due process that our Constitution guarantees them, regardless of the severity of their offenses.

   There is nothing in the Bill of Rights that says a person has a right to free speech unless we don't think they deserve it. It doesn't say we have the right to a free press unless they say bad things about us

   . The United States of America was founded on principles that were conceived and committed to writing by men who witnessed the tyranny and unfairness of regimes of their day on an ongoing basis.

   Our founding fathers fought and died for the ability of their children, and their childrens' children, and all who follow to have the opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These weren't convenient ideas for them, they were core beliefs that they knew were required for a free and open society.

   In the 237 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence this nation has witnessed many situations that tested these concepts. Some for the good, some not so good.

    The founding fathers gave us the flexibility to amend those laws with a two-thirds majority vote by the individual States. However, beginning in the 1970's, we have had those in power slowly nibbling away those rights. Using Presidential powers, our various rights have been curtailed in the name of national security or other powerfully worded reasons.

   The slow erosion of these rights continued throughout the 80s and 90s, regardless of what particular party was in the White House. Then came 9/11, beginning that day and continuing to the present time, the rate at which our rights are being ignored and trampled on has expanded exponentially.

   We are told that withholding Miranda rights was needed to safeguard the public, we have a government that can declare you a terrorist and incarcerate you without charges; or send a Drone to kill you.

    We have witnessed a veritable martial law declared on a major U.S. city, and the passing of Presidential orders giving law enforcement a virtual free pass to stop, interrogate and detain any citizen it feels poses a threat.

   The treatment of prisoners deemed terrorists by our government was a harbinger of things to come, unspecified detention without charges, refusal of legal representation, torture, disregard for habeas corpus.

    The declaration of a "war on terror" is more than a mere phrase; in legal terms a "state of war" gives special powers to the President that would not otherwise exist. Bush and his criminal posse took these powers to their limit and beyond anything resembling legality, and we let them get away with it.

   Now it seems the great hope we have placed in our current President may have proven to be a disappointing dream. Same shit, different day.

    Why are we allowing this to go on? It's because we have been told that we should be scared. Scared of the Islamic boogey-man -- scared of the illegal immigrant coming for your job -- scared, scared, scared, scared, scared.

   We have become a nation of apathetic frightened ostriches, sticking our heads in the ground and hoping the bad things don't see us. Well it's time to wake up and open your eyes and your mouth about what's going on. Taking your rights does not make you safer, it makes you vulnerable to those who would like nothing more than to enslave you and lord power over you.

   We live in a once great country, but history has proven over and over that even great countries can fall if not kept in check. There is a saying,"Those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither." 

    I hope we are deserving...

   PLEASE COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE