There’s been a debate since Tsarnaev’s capture as to whether he should be offered a Miranda Warning and whether he should be declared an “enemy combatant”. Essentially, should be be given the full due process and protections offered under the law and the Constitution? Two of the biggest cheerleaders for designating him an enemy combatant have been Lindsay Graham and John McCain. I’ve also witnessed, both on the Internet and TV news, people from both sides of the political aisle say yes and no. Let’s consider a few important facts
- Dzhokhar was in this country legally, and supposedly a naturalized US citizen
- The bombing occurred on domestic soil
- Dzhokhar was captured on American domestic soil
- He was captured by civilian law enforcement
As much as we’d like to trot him off to a detention center and ring him dry, he deserves the full range of protections offered by the Constitution and The Law. The Constitution is not supposed to be something that is adhered to “at will”. This is a Nation Of Law, not a Nation of Men. It’s a slippery slope when we simply take a US citizen (or even those here legally) and ignore their Constitutional Rights for expediency. If an American citizen is overseas and has joined a group against the US, that’s one thing. The four points I listed above are another.
Besides, I want him testifying in civilian court, where all of America will get to hear exactly what radical Islam is about. People have forgotten in the years since 9/11 just how dangerous, insidious, and evil the threat is.
