Geriatric Duty

From http://drawfortruth.wordpress.com

I'll admit it.  I'm one of the people the media continue to rail on about.  I have been obsessed with the Casey Anthony trial.  I was gone for most of the actual trial, so I soon as I returned to the country I began watching and reading about it to get caught up.  Like millions of others, I am very upset about the verdict.  I understand, because I have been on a jury, that they may not have been able to convict her based on wording technicalities.  But it is crazy to think that a woman who so clearly murdered her child, and then so flagrantly enjoyed her newfound freedom, is going to get off so easily.  What I really can't wait to hear is how her integration back into the real world goes.  I also believe with all of my heart that her mother will welcome her home with open arms and continue to give her funds and a basic free pass to partydom.  Mind boggling.

All of this drama has gotten me thinking about my own experiences with geriatric duty...I mean jury duty.  Ah, jury duty.  The fate of millions of poor suckers.  It is actually a very interesting process, but it's not so convenient.  It also appears to be heavily rigged, but that's for another time.  And if you don't believe me, well, then you've never been on a jury haha.

Below find part one of the jury selecting process, taken from my personal journal:

Hello, Non-Mommy?


This is Justin Timberlake. I have a message for you. Cry me a river.


Well, I can't say I'm here to bear great news. I guess it could be worse. I was selected for jury duty. I am in a trial all week. But hey, the other girl on the jury who just COULDN'T have it this week has plane tickets she already purchased. So I guess I can't complain too much. It isn't fair, it isn't logical, but it is what it is. I haven't even had the heart to call my boss yet. She'll be upset.


I'll give you a quick rundown of the day-


8:00-9:30 - sit in a jury room with a bunch of really gripey old people. Seems our panel group wasn't large enough, so they brought in extra people. We were now 50 people. Suddenly, my chances diminish! By the way, as happened last time, not one court official ever came in until 9:30.


9:30 - we are all ushered into a gigantic court room. Much bigger than last time. With PLENTY of seating for us all. They put you into a weird order that isn't alphabetical and doesn't make sense.


9:31 - I am ushered into...the jury box?!?!? This is where I start to have a panic attack. Why are 12 of us sitting here, and the other 38 getting to sit on the benches?? Turns out, I think we were pre-selected, then weeded out as needed. I was extremely nervous and my hands shook.


9:35-12:30 - we are asked a billion questions. Individually, and as a group. I give my Oscar Losing Award speech about why I can't come. I also have to give testimony about when I was the victim of forgery. We are all getting extremely tired and cranky. Not stopping for lunch?


12:30-1:20 - we all nervously wait, tell the same stories over and over, and decide who "has it" and who doesn't.


1:20- go back in and they announce the winners. Lucky me. I said a bad word.


So after that, the rest were dismissed, and we went to lunch. The trial began today and will last all week.