Really, who needs rights when safety is a concern?

Lately it seems that the arrests of suspected terrorists have a much lower threshold of needed evidence than other arrests. Take the Miami arrests, in which police incarcerated a group of people for its alleged plot to bomb the Sears Tower in Chicago. According to a New York Times article, upon arrest, the suspects didn't have any written instructions on how to make an explosive, no details on the layout of the Sears Tower or any known link to a terrorist group.

Head for the hills -- this sounds like a pretty sophisticated plan.

Law enforcement, wanting to keep security airtight, jumped on the suspected terrorists. But it is hard to believe that, without concrete evidence, the government's attempt to smother terrorists is error-proof.

It all boils down to two facts that are difficult to reconcile: The government's pre-emptive arrests when it comes to terrorists are welcomed, but arresting someone without proper evidence is illegal.

So where do we draw the line?

Our nation must be careful. We are entering an era that is a throwback to McCarthyism. It remains, under our laws, necessary to have intent to commit a crime to legally convict someone.

In times of overriding fear, arresting those who seem guilty without proper evidence to prove it has always seemed like a viable solution. Take the Salem Witch Trials.

It's tempting to forget about rights when horrific acts of terrorism continue to happen all over the world. Fear causes our nation to be a little more accepting of a tighter government grip.

It's a natural mentality to nip problems at the bud. We want all of our bases covered, opting to blindly arrest suspects rather than risk national security.

And most of us are OK with it -- until we're the target. If we don't protect the sanctity of our rights as citizens when others are on the chopping block, who will be there to vouch for us when we're wrongly accused?

Benjamin Franklin said it best: "Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."