Well, the court STILL has not finished the process of jury selection, so I am still on jury duty. Although I have a sneaking suspicion (fear, really) that I’m going to be selected for the jury, since I was questioned today and not excused. Apparently my opinions and background were not far enough out there for either side to want to get rid of me. Damn my middle class background and lack of life experience.
I feel bad saying this, because I know I have a “duty” as a citizen to participate on a jury, but I honestly just see the whole thing as a rather large waste of time. I think it’s a prime example of the sprawling excess that our country’s legal system has come to embody, and I am resentful that it is affecting my life. Without disclosing too much information, the case that I’m serving on seems pretty cut and dried. I’m in a traffic court, for goodness sake. Yes, I know that the defendant has a “right” to trial by jury – but honestly, should (s)he? In this country, everyone has the “right” for pretty much everything, and I personally think it’s a problem. At some point, rights do need to be defined and limited, otherwise they turn into this out-of-control entity of their own that you can no longer get a grip on. Kind of like the credit mess we’re in now. Our country just seems to say “Take, take, take,” but its citizen oftentimes seem to have no idea what the true consequences of their actions might be.
Anyways, I don’t know where I’m going with this. Perhaps after this case is over I’ll feel differently. But I don’t think so. Sometimes the law is really the law, and people need to stop exercising their “rights” in an effort to get around it.
That’s too funny. I recently went through a long, arduous process telling the good folks in LA that I no longer live there and therefore am not able to serve. The food there is awful, have you been packing lunches? Good luck!