Tragedies have a way of pulling the important things in life into focus. We hold our children closer, let go of hurts more easily, and make a special effort to talk to our friends and family more often. Tragedies can also have a way of bringing out the worst in us. We can over-react and over-generalize. We are afraid and we want to stop being afraid.
The Boston Marathon Bombing has brought out the best in us and the worst in us. I have seen people come to the aid of strangers and donate money to help with medical bills. I have also seen people call for wiretapping mosques and banning certain religions from coming to the US.
These may be extreme examples but it is important to note that how we react in a tragedy does matter. One issue came up in this that does not come up often. Law enforcement activated the public safety exception to Miranda. This exception is quite narrow and only allowed for the purpose of determining if there is still a risk to the general public. It is VERY important to understand that what information is gained during this time is NOT admissible in court.
I understand why they did activate it in this case but I am concerned that we don't try to use this as an excuse to violate the rights of others. Why, because we have to be better than those who perpetrate crimes.
I would like to hear what you think about this. Please leave a comment below. Remember that we may disagree without being disagreeable.
The Boston Marathon Bombing has brought out the best in us and the worst in us. I have seen people come to the aid of strangers and donate money to help with medical bills. I have also seen people call for wiretapping mosques and banning certain religions from coming to the US.
These may be extreme examples but it is important to note that how we react in a tragedy does matter. One issue came up in this that does not come up often. Law enforcement activated the public safety exception to Miranda. This exception is quite narrow and only allowed for the purpose of determining if there is still a risk to the general public. It is VERY important to understand that what information is gained during this time is NOT admissible in court.
I understand why they did activate it in this case but I am concerned that we don't try to use this as an excuse to violate the rights of others. Why, because we have to be better than those who perpetrate crimes.
I would like to hear what you think about this. Please leave a comment below. Remember that we may disagree without being disagreeable.
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