Pumped up prices

Dear Editor,

I was in Erie last week, gas was less than $3.19 per gallon at most stations. Jamestown is $3.39 and Warren is $3.69. What a ridiculous difference. Maybe we should all go to Erie or Jamestown for our gas.

Bob Silzle,

Russell

Selective Due Process?

Dear Editor,

By now, primary votes have been cast for a new District Attorney for Warren County. I have no dispute with outgoing District Attorney Rob Greene or assistants Cody Brown or Casey Strickland. I think all have served us well regardless of personal opinions.

One issue, however, keeps popping up and deserves clarification and affirmation.

Due process under the law. And for whom?

I posed the question to the D.A. candidates. Our current D.A. also posted a letter mentioning it. Answers and the statement were phrased: The Constitution guarantees Due Process under the law for all citizens.

And it does.

But it goes further than that.

The Constitution guarantees Due Process under the law for all individuals regardless of immigration legal status.

The Fifth Amendment applies to the federal government, while the Fourteenth Amendment applies to state governments. Each explicitly states that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without Due Process of law.

The concept of “Due Process” ensures that individuals are given fair and impartial legal proceedings and that the government cannot act arbitrarily. This generally includes notice of the charges, an opportunity to be heard, and the right to present evidence and cross-examine witnesses. In essence, a right to a trial.

The candidates for D.A. each agreed that all people, including non-citizens, are entitled to Due Process. I assume current D.A. Greene also agrees.

Our President does not. “We’re getting them (immigrants) out, and I hope we get cooperation from the courts because you know, we have thousands of people that are ready to go out, and you can’t have a trial for all of these people,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Nor does Kristy Noem. When asked: What is habeas corpus? Noem replied: “Well habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.” Um, no. Habeas corpus is the right to contest detention (unlawful imprisonment).

True, it does allow for temporary suspension in times of invasion or rebellion. President Trump insists illegals are invading us so habeas corpus should be suspended. Perhaps true, but the invaders are mostly armed with ambition and a strong work ethic. A better case might be made in suspending habeas corpus for the Jan. 6 rioters (rebels?) at the Capitol building.

Sadly, it appears some of the folks denied Due Process are even legal citizens of the United States. They tend to have greater skin pigmentation, speak something other than English, and often profess to something other than Christianity.

Don’t we keep hearing about how we must honor and follow the Constitution? Are there exceptions?

Do we, should we have the right to ship people off to foreign prisons without a declaration of charges, a right to representation, and a hearing before a judge?

What does the United States stand for? Has it changed?

James Spangler, OD

Warren