Too Bad about the U.S. Constitution

My brother and I are typical Boomers, given that our father fought in the Second World War, and we came along in the 1950s.

Also typical of our day, we were taught that one of the unique aspects to being a citizen of the United States was the freedom of expression we all enjoyed under the First Amendment of the Constitution.  When I asked Dad for an example of what that meant, he replied that you could say, “The president is a fink,” or print that in a newspaper, and no one could touch you.  Similarly, you can’t be punished for a crime unless you have been convicted of that crime in a court of law; this is part of our Fifth Amendment.

As plane-loads of people now imprisoned in Guatemala have learned, none of this matters any longer.