Eric Takabayashi wrote:
> Rykk wrote:
>
>> Look, the laws allowing people to remain silent is to prevent the
>> state from torturing confessions out of people.  Back in the day any
>> confession was considered "the truth" but all it really was was some
>> poor guy babbling whatever he thought would end the pain.
>
> It was. Putting OJ on the stand now and citing him for contempt if he
> did not tell the court in his own words what he did that night
> instead of allowing his $5 million legal team to talk crap, or to
> cite him for perjury if his testimony were found to be a lie (as
> regarding his shoes and photos thereof), are not torture.

Sorry, one of the problems of improving society is the definitions of such 
things as "torture" and "cruel and unusual" change as people are no longer 
exposed to the true reasons these clauses were added to the constitution. 
OJ was not put on a stretcher, boiling oil was not poured down his throat, 
he was not thrown on a rack, he did not have to watch his mother 
flayed....nope.  Now people think the death penalty is cruel and unusual and 
putting people in Jail cells without TVs and high speed internet is torture. 
Sorry, those people are wrong.

He had the legal right to "take the fifth"  He can't stop from walking to 
the stand.  But he can cite the fifth on any question he doesn't want to 
answer.

Rykk