[Xeth]

August 11th,2007
by Bobby Eisenberg----Fry/Schafer Defense Committee

Patients and supporters of Dr. Marion Fry and her husband, Attorney Dale Schafer, will
gather for a rally of support on Monday, August 13th at high noon in front of the Federal Building, 501 I Street, Sacramento,CA. Supporters are encouraged to bring signs and banners. J. Tony Serra is representing Dale Schafer and Laurence Jeffrey Lichter appears for Dr. Fry. The couple is appearing everyday after trial on The Christine Craft Show on Progressive 1240 Talk City Radio, Sacramento,CA, between 5 and 6pm.
The trial began with jury selection on Wednesday, August 1st. The interview process or
voir dire (vwar deer-a french term meaning "to speak the truth") left most in the courtroom feeling uncomfortable, to say the least. One by one, jurors were disqualified for admitting to knowing anything about this case, Prop 215 or medical marijuana until suddenly the majority claimed ignorance. One disqualified juror called The Christine Craft Show at the end of the day to say that she felt that the rest of the jury pool had been less than truthful by remaining silent in order to get on the jury. A discussion ensued with regard to how Californians were being forced to deny the very laws that the majority of us voted for in 1996 and that if one knew about the law or worse, had voted for it , they were disqualified. What exactly is the government doing. We are promised a jury of our peers, yet Fry and Schafer, medical marijuana advocates who upheld California law are being judged by twelve people who swore they knew nothing about Prop 215 or marijuana being used as medicine. The following day in court, the assistant U.S. Attorney declared that Mollie had been on the radio telling the jurors to lie to the judge. Judge Damrell threatened charges of jury tampering and daily polling of the jury if Fry and Schafer were going to continue with their daily radio broadcasts. Serra, in no uncertain terms, made it clear to the court that not only would his clients continue to exercise their first amendment rights but that he himself would be talking about the trial on the radio that very same day. It was already too much for Serra to expect his clients to give up any more of their rights, the prosecutor and judge already having set aside Fry and Schafer's 4th, 5th and 10th Amendment protections. The government is portraying the couple as ruthless drug dealers and not the kind, compassionate law abiding citizens that they are. The prosecution rudely objected, time and time again, as Mr. Serra attempted to give his opening statement. "Never in my time as a lawyer have I been interrupted so many times during opening statements!" Serra remarked as he left the courtroom later that day.
The defense was denied repeatedly the right to mention Prop 215 or the fact that medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996. No reference to medical marijuana or "medicine". No mention of "patients". Objection after objection to the point of redundancy.
The government has rested their case as of Thursday, Aug. 9th, for the most part after essentially presenting their case with a string of convicted felons, all of whom received leniency in their sentences for their "testimony", an alcoholic, several bonified patients who admitted they'd purchased medical marijuana for an astounding $40.00 per half ounce!...and several members of the law enforcement gang who all admitted that lying and deceit were their main methods used to entrap the good Doctor and her Attorney husband. In fact, DEA Special Agent Brian Keefe admitted under oath that Dale Schafer's run for District Attorney in El Dorado County precipitated the timing of the raid. El Dorado County Sheriff Bob Ashworth confessed to acting in a friendly manner for a year and a half, all the while leading Fry and Schafer to believe that their activities were legal and at the same time working with the Feds to bust the couple. Can you spell Un-American? Tony Serra has not denied that his clients may have violated Federal law but he has also made it clear that they made every attempt to uphold California's law while remaining within what they understood to be acceptable Federal limits, under 100 plants. U.S. Attorney Mcgregor Scott himself has gone on local Sacramento television and stated for the record that the federal government was not going after patients with under 100 plants. Apparently another lie, but then what can you expect from our Justice Department while under the auspices and mentality of the likes of Alberto Gonzales. Much like the Attorney General himself, the prosecution's witnesses declared over and over that they could not remember facts already in evidence about their own testimony to the Grand Jury and the agents involved in the witch hunt, yet this motley crew of felons had seemingly near perfect memory of very specific incidents involving the defendants. It was almost as if someone had coached the witnesses.
The defense begins it's case on Monday at 1:30pm. No doubt, a very different picture will be painted. Carved in stone at the entrance to the Federal Building, an inscription reads,

"There are not enough jails, not enough policemen, not enough courts to enforce a
law not supported by the people."

[SubUrban Cowboy]

SCUM BAGS!!!!!!!!!!! Our whole gov't is just a bunch of scum bags. How can they dismiss jurors for knowing the laws. If they are picking juror who nothing about the laws they are voting for, what do you think is going to happen. How come these stories don't hit the front page like that. How are us, sick patients and the people brave enough to take care of us, portrayed as criminals?