General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: And Then There Were Three: Third Grand Jury Refuser Goes to Prison [View all]sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)The granting of forced immunity imo, is wrong. Especially in this case where the woman is not charged with any crime, she was not present at the protests. She was asked to provide names of her friends and she, like so many did during the McCarthy era, refused citing her right to remain silent.
The fact that there are laws on the books now that can compel someone to waive their right to silence, doesn't make them right. From my reading of the history of these laws, they began (and I have not gone back further than the McCarthy era) when the government was frustrated with people taking the fifth in order to avoid turning in their 'commie' friends so they passed a law compelling them to do so. That makes it a shameful history imo.
Later they passed a stronger law supposedly to deal with organized crime but that law is now being applied to protesters like these people.
Governments always use fear to get support for taking away liberties and it really is up to the people to try to prevent that from happening.
But as far as thinking this is going to happen anytime soon, I agree with you, it won't but I give these protesters credit for starting the process by demonstrating how abusive the application of a law that was not intended to be used in cases like this.