Editor: It is important to remember that political freedom embodied in such institutions as trial by jury is what distinguishes America from third-rate dictatorships around the world. As judges chip away at the foundations of trial by jury, we become less and less secure in our freedom. Of supreme importance is the independence of the jury. The jury is not there to rubber stamp the charges brought by the government, but rather to exercise their independent judgment and conscience, and ask whether justice is being served if they blindly follow the judge\\\'s instructions on the law and enforce a bad law.