Land of Oz

Here We Go

N.Y. Using Terrorism Law To Prosecute Street Gang

Now this has me worried. Since these kids are considered terrorists, does that now mean they fall under Bush's "enemy combatant" rules. In other words, can these kids now be put into prison for ever without evidence and without lawyers?

Don't get me wrong, I want to see criminals behind bars in the most expeditious way possible -- within the laws of the United States however. Remember, that all but ignored saying, "innocent until proven guilty?" I still believe in that. Once proven guilty, however, I'm more than happy to see them behind bars or behind the door of a gas chamber. If someone assaults (and I consider robbery or car-jacking assault) another person, the assaulter won't get any sympathy from me. I really like the three strikes and you're out laws. If you haven't gotten the message after being caught and prosecuted three times, you're never going to get it and need to be put away.

But, and it's a big but, they need to be legally prosecuted with old-fashioned stuff like evidence and laws. Yes, some of the guilty get away with it. That's a drawback of the process. But I can with that more than I can of some innocent getting locked away. And if there's no evidence, other than the fact that they're called terrorists, they shouldn't be locked away forever - with no recourse to lawyers or due process.

To do so, brings us down to their level. And then they've won. We're considered the land of the free for a reason. You don't see millions of people sneaking into Afghanistan or Iran. You do see them sneaking into the USofA. There must be a reason for that.

Toughen the law if need be. Do a crime with a gun and get a life/death sentence. I'm a big supporter of gun ownership, but it comes with a price of responsibility. Do the crime, do the time. If you do a crime against a person, whether it's assault, rape, purse snatching, or stealing someone's wallet - you should pay a BIG price for it -- but only if you're convicted by evidence. And to me, a purse snatching is no less a crime against humanity than rape - not that rape isn't bad - the criminal still deserves life/death sentence - but that any violence against another needs strong persecution.

2fers: California Dept of Corrections and Three Strikes