Certainty... I am certain that what happened on October 7th was an atrocity. I am certain that bombing people in their homes is monstrous. I am certain that crossing a border to kill is an International crime. I am certain the blood of your family, stained on the stone itself, is a tragedy. I am certain that one death is not payment for another. I am certain, none-the-less, I would want that payment for my daughter, or my son. I am certain the fog of war makes us blind, deaf, and dumb. I am certain what happened today, and everyday after, will only really affect the dead. I am certain the madness will continue. Because, I am certain we are human. brian (fb)

The Sixth Amendment: "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." And here is how it could work: Imagine tomorrow, the nearly 2 million people in American jails, languishing in a state of pre-trial detention, decided they wanted to exercise every section of the Sixth Amendment? At once, like magic, people demanded of the authority that is holding them that they will have a speedy trial before their peers. Currently, it is difficult to fill juries with only 2-5% of all cases going to trial, let alone a speedy one. I do not advocate for the calamitous fall of the false edifice of justice. What I have always done, since I was an Eagle Scout, and before, is swear an allegiance to these United States, and the Constitution. Sadly, our Country is operated by those who see the Constitution as a tool, and not a guiding principle. I am not a monster, but I will remind you, I am 08547-023. (fb)