Mr. Holder and Mr. Obama are having some trouble with the idea of Miranda rights.
Miranda rights are those sentences you always hear rattled off on television police shows---"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be held against you, you have the right to an attorney...."
These rights were set in place by the Supreme Court in 1966 to prevent the state (in the form of police, etc.) from forcing a confession from a suspect before the suspect knows his legal rights. Miranda rights apply to criminal cases.
There is one case where police can ask questions before lawyers are called and all that---it's called the "public safety exception". If there is an immediate threat to others, officers can ask questions in order to ensure the "public safety".
Here's the problem: Mr. Holder wants to try terrorists in federal court. To do so, he must mirandize the suspects. In almost all cases, the "public safety exception" doesn't apply because the threat isn't imminent enough, even when officers need to know if terrorist threats are present.
Thus, Mr. Holder wants to expand the definition of the "public safety" exception in order to try terrorists in our court system.
But, these strict guidelines apply to protect American citizens. You really don't want to mess with them.
Basically, our courts are NOT made for terrorists.
We have means and methods to try terrorists. Already in place. Ready to go. It's called a "military tribunal" and specifically set up to deal with enemies of war and terrorists.
Instead of infringing on American rights, the Obama Administration needs to use those methods already in place for enemies of war.
And as for the recent would-be bomber who is a naturalized American citizen?
Well, there's already methods in place for that too. It's called "treason".
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