From Pine View Farm

Dealing with Terrorism: A Novel Suggestion 0

Thoreau has a novel suggestion:

If there is sufficient evidence suggesting that you may be involved in terrorism (or, for that matter, any other act of violence against innocent people!) the police can hold you in jail 24/7 while the matter is investigated further. During this time, 12 ordinary citizens would be selected–not liberal trial lawyers, not government bureaucrats, not namby-pamby rehabilitation types from the “correctional” system, just good, ordinary citizens–and we’d rely on them to use their good old common sense to examine the evidence. You would only be allowed to leave the jail to go and participate in this process, but you’d have to sit in your seat and not act out of order and only speak at appropriate times in the procedure. Or, if you don’t want to speak for yourself, a lawyer can speak for you, but realize that lawyers are bound by all sorts of rules of conduct. Don’t expect them to break any ethical rules to get you off, no sirree! If, during this process, you or your lawyer (who can only go as far as ethical rules allow, mind you) cannot persuade those 12 honest God-fearing folks that there is reasonable doubt about the allegations, you get sent to prison for a very, very long time.

Aside:

Two lesson from Times Square:

  • It didn’t work.
  • Good police work, not torture, nailed a suspect, who, it is important to remember, is still a suspect.

Let’s try Thoreau’s idea out on him.

Share

Comments are closed.