There's small outrages like that every now and then. I think it's better to have a system where every now and then a person is allowed to do something he's not supposed to, than a system where people should always be wary of communicating with their government in fear of being randomly detained for 14 months.

I'm not particularly mad he was arrested. It's the extended trial-less detention (helped by the withholding of evidence by the FBI) that scares me. There's no speedy trial in the US anymore, and pre-trial detention can last years.

Don't get arrested. Your life will be ruined top to bottom.

Side note: I don't feel like anyone cares about real justice anymore...

Long pre-trial detention is a huge problem in the state systems and one of the biggest human rights issues in the U.S. today. At the federal level, adherence to the Speedy Trial Act, which provides a 30-day deadline for indictment and a further 70 days to trial pretty good. Average pre-trial detention is about 4 months in the federal system.

The article states that Lopez was held in mental units in prisons--his long detention was probably the result of his mental situation.