No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
These two amendments are very important in the view that they protect us from hidden prosecution by the law enforcement agencies. They protect us from being made to testify against ourselves. The section stating "due process of law" is under attack by various individuals. Are our emails, phone calls, or blogging activity private property? Does the government have the right to take them and use them as justification to spy on us? Does reading a blog article classify you as a danger to society?
These are thoughts that we need to consider and discuss with others. Will our desire to teach our children how to think and discover on their own be classified as dangerous activity? Will we be labeled and prosecuted without any due justice? I believe that the pilgrims fled England because they were being prosecuted for their beliefs. How long until we are suffering from the same?
No comments:
Post a Comment