Should Bad Guys Get Due Process in America? (Mark on FOX)
Tony West, the lawyer in the DOJ suit against the unconstitutional Arizona law, is being attacked personally for once representing John Walker Lindh, an American citizen who trained with the Taliban, pled guilty, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Frankly, I don’t get the criticism. There’s no allegation West has done anything in the slightest that is wrong or unethical, just that he represented a bad guy, which is in the finest American tradition of due process. (John Adams once represented the British Soldier who shot Americans at the “Boston Massacre.”) If no lawyer had stepped up to represent Lindh, a lawyer would have been required to have been appointed for Lindh under the Sixth Amendment.
Why do conservatives hate our Constitution and the rule of law so much? If they don’t like our Bill of Rights, they should seek to get rid of it by amending the Constitution.
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Mike July 18, 2010 5:33 pm
You like to use the constatution when it fit’s your agenda only this is a disgrace!
K Tretbar July 11, 2010 2:28 am
By the way, I forgot to add. I am from Arizona. And I want to say, the misinformation and absolute spin on our HB 1070 is shocking. So I want to say this:
1. Yes, the drug cartel traffic here is bad. Yes, we have had an erosion of wages here because of the Mexican people residing here who are not naturalized citizens.
2. We live side by side with our legal Hispanic American neighbors and my own opinion is, once we secure the border, we must help those who need to achieve citizenship that are already here.
3. If someone thinks what we are doing is a violation of civil rights, then we need to consider what the “coyotes” are doing to the Mexican people. Drop houses, women giving birth all alone in drop houses with no medical attention, starvation in the desert, and death…humane? NO.
4. No one is entitled to anything here, we all have to work for it.
5. 2.7 billion is the latest number for the cost of medical care benefits and emergency room care for Mexican people who are not naturalized citizens.
6. I am proud of Arizona for standing up for the protection of US borders and the humane treatment of humans, and for making a contribution to slow down the drug cartels.
K Tretbar July 11, 2010 2:11 am
Hi Mark,
In my opinion both sides are spinning. You did in your last sentence of your comment. Which conservatives are you talking about? Speaking for myself, I believe in the rule of law, even if it is inconvenient. The truth to me is, moderate Republicans,true Democrats, and Libertarians simply can not shout loud enough and if we did, who would listen in Washington (or in the media)? I believe too many people have no idea what has been happening in the US since 1905,so, instead of debating on FACT, talking heads, politicians, and educators are twisting the past to rationalize the present, so the talking points become twisted and personal with little or no real information on the issues or value to the American who really cares and this kind of spin then whips the far ends on either side into a frenzy. I will say, I am thankful for ALL talk radio and cable news. If one is willing to listen to everything, you learn much more news and hear varying opinions than with main stream media. Like Richard, I have trouble agreeing with you, but I always like to see the different sides Fox attempts to have comment and contribute on their shows.
Mark Levine July 10, 2010 5:28 pm
What a pleasure to have a friendly FOX conservative weigh in. Richard, I never take a stance “only because I am a liberal.” If I take a stance, I say so because I believe it. But I appreciate your writing and even your polite disagreement. Keep writing in!
And for those of you that only call me names but wonder why I don’t respond, you’ll see if you disagree agreeably, I’ll respond as well.
Richard July 10, 2010 12:05 pm
Hello Mark,
1st I want to tell you that I am a conservative. I watch Fox news alot and I will tell you that you along with Juan Williams are the only 2 liberals that I actually like listening to. As much as I like Mike Gallagher I must say that sometimes he is not prepared to deal with you and you do make better points than he does. You are 100% correct that regardless of how bad the crime everyone is allowed a legal defense. When someone disagrees with you on this issue they are just as wrong about that as you are on closing the border. A little bit of advice if you are open minded, when you take a stance on any issue and you are only doing it because you are a liberal you lose credibility. Best to you and I always look forward to hearing you on Fox, even when you are wrong.