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Yesterday I found out that I have jury duty in May. Which is a first for me. It makes me feel all growed up. I almost hope that I do get picked. Mostly because I'm interested in how the system works (or doesn't) and I've always felt it was slightly annoying how hard people try to get out of it. I mean... how is that cool? To be tried by a jury of people too dumb to evade their civic responsibility. How can we expect the system to work when that is the case?
People are always getting pissed off because of miscarraiges of justice and innocent people going to jail... and then turning around and trying to get out of jury duty. Is it inconvienent, sure. It's time and money certainly. It's not really all that fun. But it's also an important part of how our country is supposed to function. Even my family has been guilty of trying to escape it. (and not for money reasons)
I wonder if, in part, it's symptomatic of our nation's inability to slow the hell down. Everyone's hurrying and scurrying to stay ahead of the steam roller of life and people rarely have time to do the things they deem extra. Sometimes though, the things that fall to the wayside are really important, like children and spouses and the ideals of freedom that make our lives possible. Perhaps the system wouldn't be so screwed up if people stopped getting angry and spewing rhetoric and started trying to make a real difference, by doing their job as citizens.
Or maybe we just take it all for granted. I know I sometimes do. It boggles the mind that there are places in the world where saying something inappropriate or just expressing a point of view can get you dead. Freedom of Speech is a powerful thing. I don't know that most people realise how precious the freedom to be an idiot in public is. I just wish more people were thoughtful before they opened their mouths. So, sometime in May I'll be waiting to find out if I am lucky enough to serve on a jury. I just hope that my desire to do my civic duty doesn't disqualify me.
EDIT: I'm not railing agains those with legitimate reasons to be excused. I'm talking about people that just don't want to be inconvienenced and are shirking because of that. Not people that have very real and accepted reasons to say they can't. Cause those people are totally awesome and of the good.
People are always getting pissed off because of miscarraiges of justice and innocent people going to jail... and then turning around and trying to get out of jury duty. Is it inconvienent, sure. It's time and money certainly. It's not really all that fun. But it's also an important part of how our country is supposed to function. Even my family has been guilty of trying to escape it. (and not for money reasons)
I wonder if, in part, it's symptomatic of our nation's inability to slow the hell down. Everyone's hurrying and scurrying to stay ahead of the steam roller of life and people rarely have time to do the things they deem extra. Sometimes though, the things that fall to the wayside are really important, like children and spouses and the ideals of freedom that make our lives possible. Perhaps the system wouldn't be so screwed up if people stopped getting angry and spewing rhetoric and started trying to make a real difference, by doing their job as citizens.
Or maybe we just take it all for granted. I know I sometimes do. It boggles the mind that there are places in the world where saying something inappropriate or just expressing a point of view can get you dead. Freedom of Speech is a powerful thing. I don't know that most people realise how precious the freedom to be an idiot in public is. I just wish more people were thoughtful before they opened their mouths. So, sometime in May I'll be waiting to find out if I am lucky enough to serve on a jury. I just hope that my desire to do my civic duty doesn't disqualify me.
EDIT: I'm not railing agains those with legitimate reasons to be excused. I'm talking about people that just don't want to be inconvienenced and are shirking because of that. Not people that have very real and accepted reasons to say they can't. Cause those people are totally awesome and of the good.
