Thursday Constitution blogging

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

This means you aren't held forever without a trial.

You are entitled to a jury.

You know what you are accused of.

You know who accuses you.

You can use the force of the law to have people testify on your behalf.

You are entitled to legal counsel.

We have all seen enough cop shows and television trials to know most of this.

But what if the President says you are an enemy combatant? As things stand now, until someone effectively challenges this and changes us back to the status quo ante, you are fucked. None of this applies. Because the current president and his gang of thugs have decided they are above the Bill of Rights.

Here is your quiz for today: In whose name (by whose authority) is the Constitution of the United States promulgated?

a) God
b) the several States that make up the United States
c) the People
d) the Founding Fathers
e) the Flying Spaghetti Monster

See you here next week for more constitutional deliciousness!
--the BB