Give Beck a little respect
Written by derek gaffney Tuesday, 11 May 2010 08:00
As we have all heard, a man named Faisal Shahzad was arrested for his involvement in the failed Times Square car bombing. Shahzad was born in Pakistan and became a legal U.S. citizen last April.
Once Shahzad was arrested, debate started over whether or not he should have been read his Miranda rights. Interestingly, the debate was not Democrats versus Republicans. No, the debate seemed to be among the Republicans themselves, and I found myself in an awkward position I never thought I would be in – I was agreeing with Glenn Beck.
It was unsettling for me to agree with Beck, but what was more unsettling was the man who could have been our president was saying that an American should not be read his Miranda rights after being arrested. McCain said that reading Shahzad his rights would be a “serious mistake.”
Now, I’m not a Constitution wonk, but I’m fairly certain that every American citizen has equal rights under the law. I’m also pretty sure we’re past the days where a citizen has to be white and own land and have male sex parts. That would mean this American should be Mirandized, just like every other American. I could be wrong, of course.
Surprisingly enough, I’m not. I know, I was just as shocked as you are when I found out I was right. It almost hurts me to say this, but I have to give the tiniest bit of respect to Glenn Beck for sticking to his guns and upholding the Constitution. Not a lot of respect, mind you, but a little.
Beck, in an unprecedented moment of sane, rational thinking, said about Shahzad being Mirandized, “We don’t shred the Constitution when it is popular, we do the right thing.”
While McCain joined others in stomping on the Constitution in what I believe is going to go down in history as a failed, desperate attempt of an old man trying to hold on to his office, Beck stood up for what he has always believed in.
And I have to give a man who never wavers from his beliefs at least a little of my respect, and a lot more respect than a man who can’t buy the right fertilizer, blow up propane, or even remember to remove his house keys from the car he is intending to blow up.
Derek is a first-year professional in the college of pharmacy.
