An Easy Lesson on How to Get Libertarians to Rally Behind Justin Bieber (Briefly)
Demands that he waive his civil liberties to assist the authorities ought to do it.
I've heard maybe one or two of Justin Bieber's songs, and the kid is clearly a piece of work who has not been properly raised, but I'll be damned if the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department hasn't made me feel a streak of protectiveness.
Bieber is in the crosshairs by his neighborhood and authorities for driving recklessly through his Calabasas neighborhood in his fancy Ferrari and otherwise acting like an entitled little shit. He had some sort of confrontation with former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson, and oh, my, God, I do not care about any of that and probably neither do you.
What is a concern, though, is how the sheriff's department is tackling the fact that Bieber is declining to answer their questions. Here's the message the sheriff's department wanted to pass along to him through the Los Angeles Times:
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said it's time for him to tell his side of the story to investigators—rather than deny the allegations through is representatives.
"Mr. Bieber is making statements through others that he was not driving," Whitmore said. "If he wants to set the record straight, contact us for a sit-down, thorough interview. He has to ask himself this question, 'If you have nothing to hide, why not talk to us?'"
Because I guess he's rich and spoiled, but he's not stupid? Or, more likely, he has a lawyer who is not stupid who explained to him that he should never cooperate with the police under these circumstances. He's under investigation for a possible crime. Why on earth would he sit down and risk giving the sheriff's department even a shred of a quote that could be used before a jury looking to cut some celebrity down to size, especially one as loathed outside of his circle of fans as Bieber?
So as a service to any young Bieber fans who may be reading this because they are voraciously clicking on any Bieber-related link, take note: This is a trap. They are trying to trick Bieber into incriminating himself. Bieber isn't falling for it, but every year thousands of people who don't have lawyers on speed dial walk right into it.
Beliebers, take some time out from listening to "As Long As You Love Me" (thanks, YouTube autocomplete!) and watch this video by Regent Law School Professor James Duane on why you should never, ever talk to the police. Yes, it's a bit long, but it's almost the exact same length as Bieber's latest album, Believe:
The Fifth Amendment. It's not just for IRS employees.
