Court observer doesn’t think Traficant got a fair trial

Court observer doesn’t think Traficant got a fair trial

EDITOR:

“Celebration is a slap in the face” says a Vindicator headline.

Was Congressman Traficant guilty of the charges? A jury said so, although no one from the Youngstown area was allowed in the jury pool. I certainly don’t know whether he was guilty or not, but I do strongly feel he did not get a fair trial.

Why do I say that? I was a Mahoning County Common Pleas court reporter for about 35 years. I sat in trials nearly every day for those 35 years covering every type of trial you can imagine. I attended one day of the congressman’s trial — the day the person accused of bribing him testified against him, and then never served any time — and here’s what I observed.

People entering the federal courthouse in Cleveland went through a thorough empty-your-pockets search routine. Standard, OK ... then as you approached the trial courtroom you were again stopped and put through another empty-your-pockets search. A little much. This search was placed between the jury room and the courtroom. Did it have an impression on the jurors? I don’t know. Once in the courtroom, however, I counted 17 bailiffs and federal marshals stationed around the courtroom. Now, this was not the Lockerbie bomber, but a United States congressman on trial. Did this influence the jury? It sure influenced me as a observer.

Nonetheless, this was not what I considered the most unfair part of the proceedings; rather it was the tone of voice the judge used in addressing the congressman. “Mr. Congressman, you know better than that!” Sounds OK in print, but if you heard the judge’s voice during the trial, or at least the day that I was there, you would have to wonder how the jurors could not be influenced by it.

I was not a particularly close friend of Mr. Traficant. I reported some of his testimony when he was the Mahoning County Sheriff, and I had a nodding acquaintance with him. But when I returned home from his trial I walked in the door and said to my wife: “Boy, are they railroading Jim Traficant.”

I think I’ve seen enough trials to know how a trial should proceed. So, if the only basis of the “slap in the face” is because a jury found him guilty, then I say either you weren’t at his trial or you weren’t at enough criminal trials to know what is acceptable and what is not.

CHARLES A. STEPAN

Boardman

Support the Canfield Fair; give school kids a break

EDITOR:

For several years I have been an adviser to the members of the Junior Fair Board at the Canfield Fair. We have 46 of the better young people of this area working on the Junior Fair Board. They are taught responsibility, teamwork, management skills, communication skills, and pride in their community. The reason for this letter is to ask area schools to support these young people by excusing them for a day or two to work at the fair.

Some of the local schools already do that, but others do not. One school even went so far as to tell a student that 10 points would be deducted from the final grade. I find it hard to believe that missing one day of school would have that kind of impact on a student’s learning. Students are given an excuse from the Junior Fair Board Manager to prove their participation in the fair events.

The Mahoning County Fair (Canfield Fair) is one of the largest county fairs in the United States, and we should be very proud that we have it here. I have attended Senior Fair Board meetings in Columbus and know the respect afforded our fair. The Junior Fair is an opportunity for young people to exhibit and show their livestock, to sell their livestock, provide guides for the senior citizen shuttles within the fair, and to contribute in countless other ways. Participation in the Junior Fair Board activities is a valuable teaching lesson for the young persons involved.

Let’s be proud of and support the Canfield Fair!

GEORGE L. GRIM

Boardman

Show your patriotism by flying the flag

EDITOR:

Eight years ago, this country was attacked by terrorists using commercial airliners as weapons. In the days following the destruction, we saw images of New York City firemen lofting the American flag above the rubble of the World Trade Center. Many local citizens were inspired to fix the tired flag post or flag pole on their houses or in their driveways and hang their own flags. Townships installed flags on just about any available telephone pole. The next Fourth of July Parade in Boardman was bigger than ever. The Canfield Fair’s theme was “Pride in America.”

This patriotism somewhat continued until the next presidential election, where the Democrats’ strategy was against the expensive war in Iraq and the Republicans’ stance was keeping us safe from terror. The 2004 election polarized us as a nation and now five years later, we are even worse off. There is not a whole lot of good news. Our liberal government is racing to control the private sector at an unprecedented rate. Most of us are letting it happen with the hope that somehow our own situations will get better. An $11 trillion dollar debt has amassed. We all know that this will be paid for from the enormous income taxes hikes that are coming. They will try to fool us into believing that things will be better this way and that there is piece of mind in giving the government our money to choose how to take care of us.

When I was out for a walk in my neighborhood recently, including my own I counted three houses where the American flag was displayed. I don’t fly my American flag for our control-thirsty national government. I fly it in respect for our living veterans and the memory of those killed in action. I fly it for our police and firefighters. I fly the flag not for what this country is today, but for what it once was and for what it can still become. I hope others will think this way and maybe I’ll count more than three flags on Friday, Sept. 11.

MIKE SCOTT

Canfield