Taking the Fifth

However, this constitutional right I believe is intended to protect the common citizen. When individuals become employed by the state, take the oath of office to uphold the law, they place themselves in a position to protect citizens and should be required to testify in all investigations except in their personal business. If they then still elect to take the "fifth" they should be allowed to do so but along with this they should lose their jobs AND all present and future financial compensation including all accreted retirement benefits and should be unable to be employed in any future job with goverments.

We presently have a very unconstitutional law on the books that allows police to confiscate property of all types when they "claim" the owner has drugs -- ANY amount of drugs -- WITHOUT A COURT ORDER OR AUTHORIZATION. In most cases there is no due process of law and owners lose their possessions without a civil or criminal trial.

A woman running a small package shipping store received a packet of marijuana addressed to her son. They took her store, her home and all of her assets although she was not involved in drugs. There are many other similar examples.

All of us know that police are not beyond planting evidence when convenient to meet their objectives or their passions for a bust or exercising their hatred for certain individuals -- you heard the Furhman tapes. If law officers can "take the fifth" when an formal inquiry takes place, where are citizens rights? When the individuals who have been trusted to uphold the rights of the citizens can no longer be trusted -- and taking the "fifth" by them is an obvious sign of guilt, what kind of society have we become? Certainly not the society that the Constitution is intended to protect. Does these examples suggest we are leaning toward a police state? Do you think it's too late or can we have our congressmen write laws that correct these problems?