Police State Files

How many of the Bill of Rights can the Bush Administration violate?

I'm going to take a guess and bet by the time he's done they will have violated all of them...

...except the precious Second Amendment of course.

They're doing a number on the Sixth Amendment at this very moment:

Despite the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of public trials, nearly all records are being kept secret for more than 5,000 defendants who completed their journey through the federal courts over the last three years. Instances of such secrecy more than doubled from 2003 to 2005.

An Associated Press investigation found, and court observers agree, that most of these defendants are cooperating government witnesses, but the secrecy surrounding their records prevents the public from knowing details of their plea bargains with the government.

Most of these defendants are involved in drug gangs, though lately a very small number come from terrorism cases. Some of these cooperating witnesses are among the most unsavory characters in America's courts — multiple murderers and drug dealers — but the public cannot learn whether their testimony against confederates won them drastically reduced prison sentences or even freedom.

In the nation's capital, which has had a serious problem with drug gangs murdering government witnesses, the secrecy has reached another level — the use of secret dockets. For hundreds of such defendants over the past few years in this city, should someone acquire the actual case number for them and enter it in the U.S. District Court's computerized record system, the computer will falsely reply, "no such case" — rather than acknowledging that it is a sealed case.

So, if some murderer copped a plea and ratted out a co-hort for a favorable plea deal, we are not allowed to know about it? The requirement of public trials is a two-way street. First, it prevents a star-chambered type proceeding where people can be railroaded into jail; but secondly, and just as importantly, it assures the public that trials are being conducted in such a way and to be informed on the nature of their community.

Be the Bush Administration's excessive desire for secrecy apparently trumps all forms of written law.

If one can control public access to criminal proceedings to such an extent they are secret, surely you can contemplate how this process can be abused in a frightening manner? Sadly, to many people - this will be similar to the NSA eavesdropping matter, "I'm not a criminal so what do I care?" Like there is some sort of criminals lobby (as opposed to criminal lobbyists) that is looking out for their interests.

...which there is, just not in the way one would imagine...because they're in power.

The abuses of this Administration are becoming truly frightening.