The government has the right to use force in an investigation. Things you have in your mind or - in some cases - in an extension of your mind (you're secretly

The government has the right to use force in an investigation. Things you have in your mind or - in some cases - in an extension of your mind (you're secretly actually guilty, you know where incriminating evidence is, or a safe combination or password that you haven't forgotten) cannot be compelled. Things you possess (the contents of your home or gun safe, the thumb drive clenched in your fist, the robots.txt file on your server) can be compelled with a search warrant or subpoena. They are your things, and they could incriminate you, but that's not what the 5th Amendment is for. Laconic.net is a resource I have enjoyed. Here is the 5th amendment passage: http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=2470 http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=2470 or go back for a history lesson.