Philosophy Now Forum

We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

According the the 6th Amendment you should.

I agree. I also think that when they took away our right to a trial they destroyed all our freedoms. For example, speach. Suppose the elite do not like something I said. They can now arrest me and they do not even have to say why!!!
I understand martial law and that we need to combat terrorism. However, is the war on terrorism worth shredding our constitution?

raw_thought wrote:I agree. I also think that when they took away our right to a trial they destroyed all our freedoms. For example, speach. Suppose the elite do not like something I said. They can now arrest me and they do not even have to say why!!!
I understand martial law and that we need to combat terrorism. However, is the war on terrorism worth shredding our constitution?

Constitutions are subject to interpretation by the Supreme Court. I agree that one could argue interpretation is tantamount to shredding. Although one would need to argue that a constitution reflects some sort of original intent. That's one of many problems associated with a constitutional republic.

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

This statement is false. What is your supporting evidence? The Boston bomber is being tried right now.

tbieter wrote:

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

This statement is false. What is your supporting evidence? The Boston bomber is being tried right now.

In the end I would imagine that it will be a consideration of the public interest versus the individuals interest. The 6th like the other Bill of Rights has to be interpreted and meaning has to be relevant to this particular day and age.

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

I'd like to know a single case of the above that you have in mind unless you're just hallucinating.

Excepting for U.S. military folks (who agree to abide by military law when they enlist) and folks who formally and informally reject U.S. citizenship (to, for example, hobnob overseas with Islamic Fundamentalists, making them 'enemy combatants'), I'm not aware of any repeal of 'the right to trial'.

henry quirk wrote:Excepting for U.S. military folks.

No, the military has court-martials.

tbieter wrote:

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

This statement is false. What is your supporting evidence? The Boston bomber is being tried right now.

http://rt.com/usa/160832-ndaa-gitmo-detention-approved/
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/27/obama_s ... n_remains/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/1 ... 17614.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6iaKl1aaeE
I did not say that no one will get a trial. I said that it is not your right to get a trial!!
Note that conservatives ( Mike Lee) and liberals (Maddow ) are angry about this.

bobevenson wrote:

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

I'd like to know a single case of the above that you have in mind unless you're just hallucinating.

SEE ABOVE! You really should get informed!

raw_thought wrote:

bobevenson wrote:

raw_thought wrote:We (USA) no longer have the right to a trial. American citizens can be arrested and indefinitely detained for decades without ever being charged with a crime!!!
Should we have the right to a trial?

I'd like to know a single case of the above that you have in mind unless you're just hallucinating.

SEE ABOVE! You really should get informed!

Got anything from any of the major news media (you know, something beyond the crappy references you show above -- I'm surprised you didn't include supermarket tabloids)?

You actually never heard of "indefinite detention "???????????????
You should be more informed.
Simply google, "indefinite detention ". ALL the media from liberal to conservative will say the same thing I did. Indefinite detention means no trial.

raw_thought wrote:You actually never heard of "indefinite detention "???????????????
You should be more informed.
Simply google, "indefinite detention ". ALL the media from liberal to conservative will say the same thing I did. Indefinite detention means no trial.

Maybe you're talking about the so-called terrorists at Guantanamo, Cuba. Indefinite detention there is absolutely wrong, but for you to suggest that this occurs to American citizens anywhere in the USA is absolutely ridiculous, and I defy you to cite any major news media that support such an erroneous assertion.

It applies to American citizens.
Check any source.
The clip in the Maddow video shows Obama saying that that imprisonment can last years and for crimes that one MIGHT commit!!!! One does not even have to commit a crime to go to prison!!!!!!!!!!!!!!