What Now?

[tokiko]

I have been an stock and mod outboard and SJ tunnel racer for 15 years.Both in Canada and the N.E. United States.I have just been selected for jury duty.Now what do I do?

Pete

[Ron Hill]

Well, every time I get called it go. I'm called to report at 7:45, February 7th, 2013. I've been on a few cases, the system here sucks so bad, I can't believe to tell you. They should let judges decide cases as they get over turned anyway! Personally, I can't believe how much PUBLIC money is PISSED AWAY on BS.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I go every time I'm called. I've only been picked once. A federal case on drug smuggling from the south texas border. You cannot believe that only one or two idiots in the jury can make a difference. The one I was picked on was primarily decent folks that were tuned out from the seriousness of the drug problem in our country. They knew all the celebrities, but no supreme court judges and their power, no one below the president or Texas governor, or even what the law was really about. When presented with evidence in a logical manner however, they could follow along. They mostly just minded their own business and listened to network news and believed it. This was before Fox came along.

One old lady felt very sorry that anyone should be punished if there was the slightest doubt, but the U.S. Prosecutor had an iron clad case and there was no doubt about guilt. A juror in his mid twenties was so clueless, he was nothing but a windmill. He believed whoever had the last word. A charter boat captain in his late twenties believed it was OKay to smoke marijuana, but not deal in it. (Figure that out) He believed in following the law, so he and I lead the discussion. We got nowhere for two hours, just milling around all the evidence, but just going back and forth. Finally I said, we needed to have someone take charge or we would be there all night. Because I opened up my mouth about that, they chose me for foreman, and the charter boat captain and I began to work on the four that we needed to convince for a conviction , the old lady who figured he was probably guilty, but didn't want to be responsible for him being sent to the pen., and then the "windmill". With everyone else on board, once we got the old lady to agree to a charge of guilty, the "windmill" also agreed. She was afraid time in prison would ruin his life. I convinced her by saying that we saw all the irrefutable evidence, he admitted that it was in the trunk of his car, but it was his friend , who was not with him at the bust, that did it. I said, the only thing we don't know about this guy is if he had ever been convicted previously. That was not allowed into evidence. What if he had been busted three or four times, but each jury thought that this was his first offense and let him walk. I asked "how many innocent kids lives may this drug dealer ruin because the jury let him off. It only takes one. That convinced her, although I was afraid her and or the "windmill" were polled separately after the guilty verdict was announced. They all stood firm, but to this day, I do not know the sentence. It was announced months later.

The whole point of this is to convince you that part of the reason our country is screwed up is because of jurors that award 12 million to a lady who spilled coffee in her lap, or the crooked lawyers that make millions for themselves every year when people fall at Walmart (many on purpose.). How many drug dealers are turned loose and wreck young kids lives, many permanently. Even if they get off drugs at some point, they may never be able to get good satisfying jobs. Our healthcare system is broken in large part because the biggest expense is due to liability problems with lawyers, and congress did not even address that. There is so much fraud and abuse, the the few that are caught are let off before they go to court, or the jurors let them off. We have lost all personal responsibility in our judicial system, and that is part of the reason more and more young kids get away with violent crime.

So I say go do your civic duty, and if you do get picked, do with with pride, and also take notice of how your "peers" think.

[Danny Thayer]

If he has a U.S. drivers license then he should show for duty but under his name it says he is from Canada.

[tokiko]

Don,t worry about my showing up.I,ll be there.Not only is it my duty but I need to counterbalance some of the "catch and release" mentality that seems to prevail here.

Pete