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Re: Re: jury duty

On 10/9/01 11:43 AM, quoth the effervescent prestokelvo at yahoo_com at 
prestokelvo at yahoo_com:

>I don't know if you can volunteer or not.  I would
>think some attorneys might strike you if they saw you
>as too eager.



At which point, of course, you could sue them for assault. Woot!


Actually, I got called for the first time ever earlier this year. I was 
the very last person eliminated, so I had to wait all day.

Apparently, it was a murder case. So when I arrived in the courtroom to 
be grilled by the attorneys and the judge, all players were present. The 
lawyer for the defense asked me if I thought I could recommend the death 
penalty. For the two young men sitting next to him.

Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never personally been 
asked point-blank to look someone in the eye and say, "Why, yes, I think 
I could sentence you two complete strangers to death." I have no 
illusions about myself. I can't say for certain that I couldn't hear 
about a horrific crime and not say, despite my pacifistic leanings, "Kill 
them." I don't know what these two young men did. Obviously, the question 
must have been murder, and it must have been violent and horrible. But I 
had to be honest.

"I don't know," I replied. "It would depend."

"On what?" asked the lawyer.

If there'd been an audience, this would have been the point at which I 
turned to them to say, "Hey, could someone help me out here?" I mean, I 
have no frame of reference. Sure, I've thought about killing people 
myself before. Hell, I think I've even threatened a few people on this 
list. Just ask Kyle's butt. But have you ever been asked seriously if you 
could take responsibility for recommending capital punishment for another 
human being?

I turned to the judge with a look of hapless consternation on my face. 
She, obviously knowing the score, cut me some slack.

"If you believed the situation warranted it, would you be able to 
consider the death penalty?"

I took a deep breath and deliberately looked at the two young men again 
before I looked back at the lawyer. I'm an adult, and I take 
responsibility for what I say. "If the situation warranted it, I believe 
I could."

Apparently, that satisfied all parties. I was told I could proceed to the 
anteroom of the courtroom. After all that, I was immediately told thank 
you very much for doing your civic service we appreciate your time and 
thank you you can go have a nice day.

But I thought about it for days afterwards. I've never had Death come up 
and shake my hand and ask if we could be friends. "Hi. How are you? I'm 
Death. Care for a drink?" It's all very well to joke about it and read 
Sandman and sing "Stretched On Your Grave," but when it's someone else's 
life in your fumbling, human hands, can you really give an answer you can 
live with for the rest of your life? Can you say you won't be swayed one 
way or the other by rage or fear into somewhere beyond 100% rationality?

It's not that I don't in theory support the death penalty. It's just that 
the in-practise seems a bit big for someone who can't get up enough spine 
to call Lars and ask if he's really coming over tonight or if he's just 
going to jerk me around again. I finally had a big meeting with my 
manager, my district manager, and my general manager, and I didn't haul 
out half my complaints. Maybe I was just being prudent, but maybe I was 
being too timid. I worry about my own spinelessness all the time, and I'm 
supposed to make the ultimate decision-- even though I'm meant to do it 
with eleven other people?

I don't know. I just don't know. I didn't sitting in that courtroom 
staring at those two boys, I didn't walking out of the courthouse and 
staring blankly at the sky, and I still don't know it now.








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