Comments on: Gun case dropped

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:05:31 +0000

Out of historic interest, the leaked memorandum from the US intelligence services on bugging UN diplomatic missions was reported in The Observer on 2 March 2003 here: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,905899,00.html The text of the leaked US memorandum itself is here: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905954,00.html

By: miaow mix

miaow mix — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 22:33:05 +0000

A rather good treatment of the Official Secrets Act here http://www.article19.org/docimages/790.htm

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:16:29 +0000

Dan—I guess it depends if you consider 100 years to be a short period of history…

By: dsquared

dsquared — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:35:52 +0000

What’s wrong with “statistical fluke”? I’m not aware of similar problems anywhere else, or in the American South outside a specific and quite short period of history.

By: Joshua W. Burton

Joshua W. Burton — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:26:17 +0000

Isn’t the technical term for this “jury nullification”? The fear of juries was no cause for rejoicing in the state where I grew up. I think a case can be made that the jury system helps ensure that governance will be no worse than the popular will commands. But to say as Daniel does that “it’s rare that people stand up to their rulers without some good coming of it” seems to argue either that the lynch-and-acquit American South was a statistical fluke, or that it brought some good. I’m not entirely happy with either line.

By: Iysam

Iysam — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 19:45:41 +0000

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By: jamie

jamie — Thu, 26 Feb 2004 19:15:47 +0000

Absolutely right in every particular. But how long do you think it will take for the government to have another crack at withdrawing the right to trial by jury, especially in “security-related” cases?