It takes being touched by it -- even indirectly -- to open your eyes.
Personally, I find police authority in this country to be dubious already, and the criminal justice system is broken in many ways, but the issue seems to have little cultural currency. For me, it took people close to me -- people whom I knew, factually, were innocent of the charges -- being accused to open my eyes to the failings of our system. Most Americans, I think, expect to be treated fairly by American authorities, and should they ever be accused, they will be shocked by the attitudes they face.
The sad fact is that "criminals" are easily dismissed. Once someone is under the shadow of suspicion, others make dangerous assumptions about that person's character, to the point where any charge, no matter how far removed from the actual circumstances in question, becomes plausible.
That's why I find the label "terrorist" -- as used in this law -- so troubling. True acts of terrorism are horrifying, so once you apply that label, you open up all sorts of associations, whether merited or not. Anyone so labeled will become invisible to society, unworthy of empathy, sympathy or even base consideration. Even those defending them -- if any defense is allowed -- would be tainted by the stench of it, and those speaking out against such treatment also open themselves up to suspicion.
I am against indefinite detention of any sort under any circumstances. It's either trial or tyranny.
