Why we read “terrorists” their Miranda rights

I don’t understand why reading Miranda rights to a “terrorist” suspect is so controversial.
I think it is because people on the right immediately hear the word “terrorist” — ignore the word “suspect” — and then demand to know why we are “giving rights” to terrorists who are trying to kill us.
But that is not the way one should look at it. We are not “giving rights” to criminal suspects. We are agreeing not to take away rights which we rightfully believe belong to all people regardless of their guilt, innocence, nationality or immigration status. These “rights” are not for the criminal suspects, they are for us. They are not meant to shield the guilty from facing justice, but rather to shield us from the shame and stigma of putting innocent people behind bars.
You see, these “rights” say more about us as a people than they say about the criminal suspects. We won’t take these “rights” away because of who we are. We are good people who do not believe in putting innocent people in jail and we will take the necessary steps to help insure that such mistakes are rarely made and are quickly rectified when they do occur. At least, that is the noble of intent of reading suspects their ‘rights’.
So if the thought of giving a criminal undeserved rights makes you agitated, just remember that is not what it is all about. We do it because we are a great country. So stop telling me that is not how they do it in other countries. Those other countries should strive to be more like us, not the other way around.

RNC shoots own foot with first attack on Kagan

One of the first attacks by the Republican National Committee against Elena Kagan, Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, is embarrassingly misguided and profoundly stupid.
They are trying to score cheap points by tying her to a quote that former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall made in which he said that the U.S. Contitition as originally written was “defective.” Kagan, who once served as a law clerk for Justice Marshall, made a reference to that speech in a paper she wrote honoring Marshall shortly after his death.
“Does Kagan Still View Constitution ‘As Originally Drafted And Conceived’ As ‘Defective’?” the RNC asks ominously in its new line of attack.
Why yes, you MORONS! It most certainly was defective considering that it tolerated slavery and considered black people to be only 2/3rds a person for purposes of representation. That is the “defect” that Marshall was specifically referring to. We don’t even have to get into the fact that women were not allowed to vote or participate in government or any of the other myriad problems which have been addressed over the years by the Constitutional amendment process.
What IDIOTS!!! But I guess that they know who their audience is and that there will be plenty of rank-and-file GOP voters who will be “outraged” when they are told that Kagan thinks the Constition was flawed.