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Old 05-13-2008, 07:37 AM   #19 (permalink)
Jinn
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Location: Seattle, WA
In cases where public safety and security are concerned, the Amendments can and have been suspended. For example, "Terry stops", where an officer is allowed to pat a suspect down for weapons or dangerous items, skirts the Fourth Amendment because they operate in good faith to ensure the safety of the public.

Likewise, the First Amendment right to speech and assembly can be temporarily suspended in order to prevent riots and violent demonstrations, when it can be shown that it 'serves the greater good' to temporarily suspend someone's rights.

In the case of felons, they've committed crimes so offensive or repetitive that we, as a country, believe they should have certain rights removed to prevent them from continuing to do harm. Someone who is arrested for twice driving under revocation represents a clear danger to society, I'm sorry. I can't really tell if you're saying that you've been arrested for such, but it demonstrates a CLEAR disrespect for the laws which bind the rest of society. In the only good survey I could find with a quick Google search, the average felon has TEN previous convictions before their felony conviction. That means that they've got a pattern of law-disregarding behavior. Whether this is driving under suspension or DUI, it's an indicator about that person and what they believe.

It serves the public to retain the DNA of convicted felons, as they, quite astonishingly, have a RECORD of past convictions and are likely to commit additional crimes if ever released from prison.

You might not like being lumped into a group who statistically patterns their behavior into a life of crime, but if you've been convicted of a felony it was your choice to join that group, not mine.

Suspending the rights of one to ensure the quality of life of the majority is an important part of governance. It should be exercised with care, and we should only revoke rights for the common good when someone has demonstrated the ability to commit felonious crimes or repeatedly disregard laws for the safety of the populace, like driver's licensing requirements.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Our Great Constitution
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
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