Jury duty! Again!

[LittleRed]

I might have said it a little more tactfully than Timothy, but I echo his opinion.

Also, if I remember correctly, your location is not too far geographically from me. May it never be, but what if I were on trial because of a self-defense shooting? Let's say there was just enough "gray area" for an itchy prosecutor to try and make a name for himself and I am the scapegoat. At this point my life, and my family's way of life is on the line. You and others like you and me could mean the difference between exoneration and conviction.

I would want a jury full of people like you. People who value human life enough to affirm the right to self-defense with whatever weapon there may be. People who believe not just in victim's rights, but in the right to NOT BECOME a victim.

You serving on a jury is just a much a right of the parties involved in the case as our right to bear arms. We can't pick and choose which rights we like and which are too inconvenient.

If the only people who serve on juries are "too ignorant to get out of it", or those on welfare looking for a buck we aren't going to be too happy about the verdicts.

A modern day trial by jury has got to be the scariest thing in the world. Someone's freedom or maybe even their life hangs on the whim of a dozen people who simply want to be home in time to watch the latest reality show.

End of rant.

Go and do your jury DUTY!

[fightingquaker13]

I'm right there with you and Timothy, Red. I didn't volunteer, but I won't lie to get out of it either. Its as important as voting or serving in the military in wartime. If not you, who? I really do have a hard time with @#$%^^ pills I have to take, but I'll live. As far as an SD case? I think the verdict is in at the end of opening statements. Sadly though, Fl. does not require a unanimous jury. Since my fellow jurors don't know me, maybe Ill be able to persuade them.
FQ13

[billt]

A lot of the disdain for jury duty comes from the arrogance of the people who are involved in the process. I was selected some time ago when I was working a 10 and 12 hour night shift. I called and told the (hispanic) sounding man on the other end my problem, and there was no way I could serve, but would be willing to do so if they had some type of night court, or at least something that could be more accommodating to my schedule.

He became very arrogant with me over the phone, and told me my work schedule was not an excuse. I should add that my company did not pay for jury duty. We went back and forth as I tried repeatedly to reason with him. It reached a point where he became sarcastic and threatening with me. My patience finally ran out and I basically gave up and told him to shove it, and slammed the phone down, tore up my jury duty summons, and that was that. Since that time I've probably received 6 or 8 more summons. All went through the shredder, and that was the last I heard of it.

People I've talked to who have "done their civic duty" have told me they ended up sitting there all day and were never selected. A complete waste of time. I know all about the whole deal of, "What if everybody did that!?" I would only assume if everyone did they would have to find a more efficient way to run things. Something the government has trouble doing on their best days. The entire system of jury selection needs revamping. What they have now is the equivalent of running in place faster.  Bill T.

[fightingquaker13]

Its the draft. Everyone has somewhere they'd rather be, otherwise, there wouldn't be a draft. I have no problem with people (arguably me, as a borderline case) getting out of it if there's a legit reason. If not, you serve. The feds let me off. The locals didn't. So my ass will be at the courthouse on 10/19. I may bitch, but its all in fun. Sombody has to do it, and as Red posted, don't you want someone who isn't a brainwashed moron on a jury? Why not us?
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

A jury vote is more important than an election vote since jury nullification can make or eliminate a law.
What good is law X if the jury refuses to enforce it ?
"Citizens" who shirk their duty are the reason for most of Billt's rants, so things he bitches about are his own fault, and the fault of the rest of the slackers.

Semper Fi.

[Sponsor]

[Dakotaranger]

I doubt I'd ever have to serve.  The last time I was called the defense attorney asked about my degree...I think the criminal justice degree spooked her.  Then if I ever got called on a dui case they couldn't dismiss me fast enough because I'm all for those being capital cases.

[fightingquaker13]

I doubt I'd ever have to serve.  The last time I was called the defense attorney asked about my degree...I think the criminal justice degree spooked her.  Then if I ever got called on a dui case they couldn't dismiss me fast enough because I'm all for those being capital cases.

Yikes! I never thought I'd say this to a teetotaler  (and I honestly respect that position) because there are a thousand reasons why taking that first drink is a bad idea and damn few as to why its a good one. That said, take a step back and have a beer man! If you are drunk enough that even you should know it, by all means throw away the key. But .08? That's three beers. Not an excessive amount. Just like the drug war, we seem to have lost our minds and come up with a one size fits all system. It seems to me, being a little buzzed (and maybe not knowing it) should be treated differently than being falling down drunk. Sadly MADD seems to have stolen our common sense.
FQ13

[billt]

A jury vote is more important than an election vote since jury nullification can make or eliminate a law.
What good is law X if the jury refuses to enforce it ?
"Citizens" who shirk their duty are the reason for most of Billt's rants, so things he bitches about are his own fault, and the fault of the rest of the slackers.

While these kind of fantasy keyboard statements sound good and read well on public forums, and support apple pie, along with flag waving and even an occasional baseball game, they are solidly detached from reality. We live in a society where ones financial obligations come before anything and everything else. Aside from health, there is nothing that is more important for ones very existence, nothing. If you doubt the importance of that statement, keep your eyes on the television this November 2nd. This nations rancid economy, along with a housing market that is all but non existent, is going to drive people to the polls like never before in this nations history.

The jury selection process directly effects that. They just expect people, at a moments notice, to be able to drop everything and submit to "do their civic duty" as if citizens have no other obligations. Not to mention you very well could find yourself stuck on a jury for weeks, possibly months. I know very few people who could endure that kind of financial disruption. Fewer and fewer companies can afford to pay their employees today for jury duty as they did in the past. The fact of the matter is times change. People for the most part today are 2 income families who have little, if any, financial leeway. Getting stuck on jury duty, some for even a day, could mean the difference of being able to purchase groceries that week, or not.

Now, I'm not saying or condoning my approval of people living on the financial ragged edge like that, but the sad fact is many do, not by choice today as much as by force brought on by a horrible economy and a lousy job market. And through it all there sits "jury duty" with the exact same selection process and procedures as it did when "Leave It To Beaver" was in the prime time line up, and stores and shopping malls were closed on Sundays.

If you think about it, it is totally stupid. They could change, much like the rest of society, but they simply refuse. They could have weekend court, but they don't because government employees, bailiff's and judges and such, don't want to work weekends. They could manage the system better so you could be preselected at a more convenient time, or even my mail, then be immediately placed on a jury where at least your time wouldn't be wasted sitting on your a$$ for the entire day for nothing. But they won't. They could even up the compensation to a realistic figure that would allow more people the financial option of attending. But no, they won't. And mind you this is the same government that has no problem dealing out over $4 TRILLION DOLLARS of the taxpayers money in the last 4 decades for Welfare payments to pay people to sit on their collective a$$es and do nothing for years on end. But they won't even think of using it to allow people the option of doing something more productive.

Like much of everything else in government, the system itself is set up to fail, and fail it does. I could afford to attend jury duty. My reason for not doing it is what I've just stated. It's bad enough they waste most all of the tax money I've provided them with my entire working life. That I can, and have replaced. I'll be damned if I now am going to give them something I cannot afford to replace at any price, TIME. As I said, people's financial needs come before everything else. We are seeing the result today of what happens when that process is disrupted by massive unemployment, along with stringent financial obligations people have placed on to themselves. Jury duty, along with how it is set up, refuses to accommodate any and all of the very peoples needs it requires to function. It is nothing more than a hooray for us, and screw you process that infringes to the point of arrogance. They can "fix" it, but refuse. Until they do I won't be participating. I can fail at anything on my own, I don't need the governments help by feeding into a system that is already so broken it barely functions. Pardon me all to hell for being the slightest bit realistic. Bill T.  

[jaybet]

I used to get out of jury duty as a volunteer firefighter. When I retired from that I got out of it one time because it would have placed an "Undue and catastrophic financial hardship" on my family.
Last time through some mixup my wife AND I were called on the same jury and actually spent three days sitting around the court house. The last day we went in court, listened to some stupid crap, and did not get selected. Mercifully they then sent us home, each of us having earned $15 for our three days service.That was when I learned that the metal detectors and guards don't check the jurors when they go in and out. A crazy juror could stash a weapon outside and then when he got his badge for the day could just go out for a smoke, grab his piece, and have at it. Amazing.

Right after that I got a summons for FEDERAL jury duty. I would have had to drive to Camden, NJ (a place on a par with Calcutta except it has gang bangers). Part of the response is to tell them how far my commute would be. I figured it at 164 miles per day. At $0.55 per mile, they decided they didn't want to pay me $90.20 on top of my $5 to be a jury member, so they let me go.

Find out a few judges names and tell them that you are personal friends of judge so and so. I am, and THAT works too. Cop in the family? That usually works too.

It IS our duty, but it DOES suck.

[tombogan03884]

Bill, your argument falls short. Way short, because I'm one of those people who, if I missa day of work, has to choose between rent and groceries.The most important votes a citizen gets, are, Grand Jury, Jury, and election primary, if you neglect your duty in these area's you deserve the results.