[exodus]

To: Mr. Bird
I say again, Mr. Bird, you did not watch the Ethics Committee hearings.
How do I know??
You still think Traficant is guilty. If you had seen Traficant’s documented physical evidence, and heard Richard Detore’s testimony, you would know that Traficant was innocent…”
# 106 by exodus

To: exodus
Who gives a crap about the Ethics Committee hearings? They didn't convict him of anything, they just recommended he get kicked out of the House. That's their business. I tried to leave well enough alone by stating that there was no consensus on the matter here: some of us have no problem seeing Traficant go to jail, others believe he was railroaded.

I submit that there is NO exonerating evidence. Zero.
Screw the link to the video, that ain't the trial.
# 109 by Mr. Bird
*************************

What did I say??
You haven’t seen the evidence, so your opinion is based on nothing but hearsay and your belief that your government would never lie to you.

You’re wrong also, there is a consensus among those who actually watched the Ethics Committee hearings. We believe that Traficant is innocent, and that the government manufactured evidence, and that the prosecutors in the trial, and the judge, went out of their way to deny Traficant a chance to defend himself. We believe that the FBI, IRS, and the Justice Department really were out to get Traficant, and that they used tyrannical methods to do so.

On the C-Span forums, where everyone commenting had seen the hearings, the vast majority of posters believe Traficant innocent, and believe Traficant’s assertions of governmental corruption.

I say again, and you would know if you had watched the hearings, that there was no evidence of wrong-doing by Traficant, and overwhelming evidence that the government violated every protection he had the right to expect as a citizen. The government actually manufactured evidence against Traficant.

Please, watch the videos. I guarantee, even with you going in convinced that Traficant is guilty, you’ll come out believing in him, and believing in his innocence.

[Mr. Bird]

On the C-Span forums, where everyone commenting had seen the hearings, the vast majority of posters believe Traficant innocent, and believe Traficant’s assertions of governmental corruption

OK OK OK! I give up, I'll watch the videos. Remember though, the posters on the C-Span forums are self-selecting, and hardly a representative sample of the overall opinions on the hearings.

And please remember that I conceded the point that my government could and would lie to me. They have proven that over time.