Originally Posted by Spart
Has the justice system gone to absolute pot, where "we" let a criminal get off on a technicality (warrant was not valid at time of search).

"Technicalities" are what ensure that the police and the courts can't railroad people into jail. The police should have to stick to the letter of the law. If a few badguys get off because the cops screwed up, tough crap. The cops are professionals and should be held to a high standard.
Yes - quite agree with Goofball on this one. One of the supreme values of of "civilised" societies is the whole concept of the rule of law. That means the enforcers themselves also have to behave according to the law. If they don't then the law itself becomes even more of an ass than it usually is, and you defeat the entire object. And the object of the law is to protect the innocent, mostly from criminals, but also from the authorities.

I knew someone who was charged with a firearms offence - there was a strong case against him, but the police fabricated extra evidence to "make sure". Of course, that destroyed their case. They didn't need to do it. If they had followed the law themselves, it would have resulted in a conviction. These things aren't just technicalities - they are fundamentals.

Governments also need to be bound by law, and shouldn't be allowed to make political decisions that corruption is in the "national interest", for instance.

As for the death penalty, my objection to it is that the justice system is not perfect. If someone is jailed incorrectly, they can be pardoned, released and compensated. If they've been executed incorrectly you can't dig them up and start them up again. Again it's about protecting the innocent.

And one final comment: "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind".