Civilian issue

In today’s political climate, terrorism is a fairly common issue and fear of many people. It’s nearly impossible to say when and where a terrorist attack may occur, how many people it may impact, and how the attack itself was organized. When an attack occurs, it is important that those responsible receive proper punishment for their crimes. The issue, however, is whether they should be tried in civilian courts or by military tribunals. With the wide number of variables involved in any given terrorist attack, it can be difficult to arrive at a general conclusion. That said, I believe terrorists should be tried in civilian court.

With the whole 9/11 backlash, it was easy for our government to step in, pass the USA PATRIOT Act, and do away with Habeas corpus. There is a problem with that. It is too much of a double standard. We can't hope to have any appearance as a fair and level-headed country if we give rights to some people and completely ignore others. The safety of our nation certainly is important, but merely exposing a terrorist to the civil court system is not going to give away any big secrets about how our government works. According to our Constitution, people are entitled to a quick, fair trial.