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When the jury in the Judi Bari trial requested copies of the First and Fourth Amendments this week, the FBI showed its true stripes by objecting. The jury asked for copies of the amendments to the U.S. Constitution to consider during deliberation, but Department of Justice council attorney Joseph Sher and City of Oakland attorney Marie Bee asked the judge not to grant their request.
The judge overruled the motion to oppose and read those amendments to the jury, but did not give the jury an actual copy of those amendments for them to return to the deliberation room.
Why would the FBI, a federal agency governed by the Constitution and its amendments, object to the jury having access to the law of the land? Perhaps because the FBI so often violates the Constitution.
"Their agents obviously haven't read the Constitution, so why would they want anyone else looking at it?" said Darryl Cherney, co-plaintiff in the civil rights lawsuit, now in its sixth week.
Four FBI agents and three Oakland police officers are on trial for allegedly denying equal protection under the law to Bari and Cherney, who were nearly killed when a bomb exploded in Bari's car. The FBI named the two as the primary suspects in the case, failing to follow up on leads and death threats Bari had received prior to the bombing. The lawsuit also alleges the FBI and police used the bombing to begin a smear campaign against Bari and Cherney, characterizing them as terrorists. The two were organizing for Redwood Summer at the time of the bombing.
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Fast track to hell
A bill before the U.S. Senate is so far-reaching that it could impact the lives of every American. The bill would cede to the U.S. president the ability to negotiate trade agreements, or fast track authority.
"In order for me to be effective on trade, I need trade promotion authority," President Bush told reporters. "I need the ability to speak with a single voice for our country."
Labor groups oppose fast track authority because it will almost assuredly send U.S. jobs overseas. Human-rights groups oppose it because it will erode workers' rights at home and promote the abuse of children as virtual slave labor abroad. Environmental groups oppose it because it will allow U.S. companies to evade environmental laws by moving operations to countries without laws.
Yeah, yeah. That's all terrible. But here's what's scarier: Bush thinking he's speaking on behalf of all Americans "in a single voice." A forked tongue is more like it.