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Why Suspected Terrorists Need Due Process

Conor Friedersdorf continues to be a voice of conscience among the American media. Writing about the attempted poisoning of President Obama and Senator Roger Wicker (from my home state of Mississippi) that turned out to be a set up, Mr. Friedersdorf says:

This case is a reminder that being accused of a heinous act, like sending a poison-laced letter to the president, does not mean that the accused is guilty. It is an eye-opening look at an FBI apparently willing to continue holding a man it had good reason to believe innocent. And it is a demonstration of why our system requires appearing before a judge, with evidence, to hold a suspect: to protect innocents from being imprisoned, and to ensure that the real bad guys are found.

It is truly amazing that supposed conservatives would oppose these kinds of legal protections, and it is yet another reminder that the typical Right vs. Left categorization in America is largely a distraction which glosses over the fundamental questions of justice.

 

By Steven Wedgeworth

Steven Wedgeworth is the Rector of Christ Church Anglican in South Bend, Indiana. He writes about theology, history, and political theory, and he has taught Jr. High and High School. He is the founder and general editor of The Calvinist International, an online journal of Christian Humanism and political theology, and a founding member of the Davenant Institute.