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Re: jury duty

I'm a staunch republican and I think death and life belong in the hands
of God. Murderers should be sentenced to hard labor, wage free labor,
putting back into society, that way if there's a chance for appeal, they
still exist, meanwhile they have alleviated some of the tax burden. It's
win win.

WS


On Tue, 9 Oct 2001 18:47:06 EDT Ysobelle at aol_com writes:
>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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