Zacarias Moussaoui - reality slips away ...

In a four year saga that becomes increasingly bizarre, Zacarias Moussaoui, 37, the "20th Bomber" pleaded guilty last year in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., to conspiring with al-Qaida. Now a jury member trying him was warned for looking up the meaning of the word "aggravated" in her 9 year old son's dictionary and was admonished by Judge Lois Brinkeman.

It was claimed by the Judge that this placed that juror in a special position and that the juror had ignored the Judge Leonie Brinkema 's instruction to consider only the evidence in court. She questioned the juror on Friday and concluded that there was "no intentional or material" violation and their deliberations continue. So they were sent home to think more about it this weekend.

Eventually the Jury foreman will have to complete a 42 page "Special Verdict Form" (PDF Alert)

Amongst the many, many, extraordinary questions the jury has to face are two Mitigating factors....

O. That his mother’s failure to provide her children with any meaningful religious training or practice left ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI without the theological or intellectual basis to resist the preachings and propaganda of radical Muslim fundamentalists in London who provided him with a sense of group identity he never had.
Number of Jurors who so find ____

P. That ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI suffers from a psychotic disorder, most likely schizophrenia, paranoid subtype.
Number of Jurors who so find ____

This show looks like it will run and run - even though Uncle Sam is evidently anxious for his quietus, at the end of a needle....

....Aggravating, Brinkema told the jurors that it "essentially means to make something worse." If they had further questions, she added, "please don't hesitate to send me notes." No doubt some less than intelligent normal guy is going to ask her to exlain what psychotic disorder, most likely schizophrenia, paranoid subtype means or maybe what exactly radical Muslim fundamentalists in London are . That should fill an idle hour or two.