"America is Advanced Citizenship, You've Got to Want it Bad..."
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Last night we celebrated the combination of technology with brave and courageous police work at all levels that brought this terrible week in American history to a successful end.
Today, we stand to affirm that a fair & just society demands equality under the law for all, even the worst of us.
When federal officials choose not to read Dzhokhar Tsarnaev his Miranda rights, Slate's Emily Bazelon wrote: "When the law gets bent out of shape for him, it’s easier to bend out of shape for the rest of us." The ACLU added in a statement: "We must not waver from our tried-and-true justice system, even in the most difficult of times. Denial of rights is un-American and will only make it harder to obtain fair convictions."
Like it or not, Tsarnaev is an American with the rights to due process and the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, just like we all have.
The true test of our convictions is doing what is right in those times when it's hard, when we absolutely do not want too.
No one is defending Tsarnaev. All of us want to see him answer for his terrible crimes against this country. But our greater desire should be that justice is dispensed fairly, in the American way.
In times like these, where a despicable and heinous criminal exists - let us hope that there is always a single soul - tears streaming down his face - standing between the criminal and a grief-sticken mob hungry for vengeance. Against all his torn emotions, a single soul that will stand firm for the force of law, the spirit of true justice, and the rights we all share.
