Random Comments/Stream of Consciousness Thread

[Merlin1958]

For your consideration........................

http://fb.watch/7hK_c2tqLp/

[Iwritecode]

The one and only time I've been called for jury duty I was working at a job that didn't give me any PTO. So I was literally losing an entire day's pay by sitting there.

Looking back, I should have just used that as my excuse to get out.

Of course now that I have a job where I get almost 4 weeks of vacation/PTO I haven't been called since.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

That's what I get for voting.
I am going to shave my head the day before, wear jeans and a t-shirt, despite the warning not to.
Last time, I wore dress pants and a nice shirt, and everyone else looked like bums, which is how I normally look.
And I still was sent home after four boring hours of just sitting there while the lawyers renegotiated the case and decided not to have a jury trial.

[St. Troy]

I know a guy who got out of it (at the juror selection stage) by staring at one of the lawyers.

[bdwyer19]

For the first time in 17 months, I’m back in the office! We have a brand new office tower, so it’s great to actually see people in person. I’ll probably be at the office twice a month going forward. Yet another new normal to get used to, but it’s worth it to see my my team again.

[Lurker]

Not to imply you're old Steve, but most states have an opt out age. Texas is 70, which I haven't quite reached yet, but as I can't physically go to the courthouse I got out of it on that. They did send a jury notice to my address with my deceased father's name on it - I ignored it and as of yet the popo haven't shown up...

[herbertwest]

This may be a dumb question, but is there a reason why everybody seems so eager to get out of jury duty?

I don't know much about it, besides that my dad was called about it one time years ago. But I don't believe he actually became a jury.
Obviously that was in France

[Lurker]

I sat on a criminal jury years ago, before I was a lawyer. It's no big deal. It's kinda interesting.

[Iwritecode]

This may be a dumb question, but is there a reason why everybody seems so eager to get out of jury duty?

I don't know much about it, besides that my dad was called about it one time years ago. But I don't believe he actually became a jury.
Obviously that was in France

You have to go to the courthouse downtown early in the morning, pay for parking, sit in a room with like 50 other people and wait to be called. Sometimes you aren't called at all and you just spend the entire day in the room.

Then whether or not you are chosen you get a whopping $15 for the day.

As I mentioned above, I didn't get paid by my actual job for that day so I was losing a lot of money being there instead of working.


That said, I wouldn't mind going through it once just to see what it's like as long as I get my regular pay. Although I'd hate to get stuck on a multi-day trial and have to be sequestered the entire time.

[Randall Flagg]

This may be a dumb question, but is there a reason why everybody seems so eager to get out of jury duty?

I don't know much about it, besides that my dad was called about it one time years ago. But I don't believe he actually became a jury.
Obviously that was in France

I tried to get on a panel, but got cut day one.
I was one of the first 12 chosen for questioning (each side of the case can ask questions-and have a number of people they can decline).


An attorney for the prosecution was talking about evidence and poured himself a glass of "water". He then asked me what he had just consumed. I replied "a liquid". This brought chuckles from the courtroom-not from the attorney who then asked me what KIND of liquid he consumed. I replied "clear". The courtroom roared.
The prosecution then promptly thanked me for my service, and I was released.

[ICry4Oy]

Thankfully I've never been picked to be on a jury. I am too honest to be picked. One case involved a lot of testimony from psychiatrists. One of the lawyers asked me something to the effect of how I feel about psychiatry. I told him I put about as much stock into it as I do witch doctors and fortune tellers. I was immediately sent on my way. The last one I wasn't picked for, the defendant was in the courtroom. She looked a lot, no exactly, like a lady in my neighborhood who is known to sell heroin. I told the judge that and she told the court to strike my comments from the record and asked me to leave. I've been lucky!

[DoctorZaius]

I don't understand the desire not to be called for jury duty either, though I don't long to be on them. I see the honor of being a part of the process. I love teaching the play 12 Angry Men each year in my English classes. At one point Juror 11, an immigrant, reminds the others that "We have a responsibility. This is a remarkable thing about democracy. That we are...ummmm... what is the word...Ah, notified! That we are notified by mail to come down to this place and decide on the guilt or innocence of a man we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. This is one of the reasons why we are strong." I couldn't agree with him more.

I have been in on a case, an interesting case about an undercover drug bust that went wrong - the case still haunts me a bit, as I the four men on trial were all part of a gang and I used to fear I was being followed home each day from the court house - members of the gang were clearly present each day of the trial.

And I had one case I really didn't want to be on and I let them know it - a man accused of raping his 8 year old daughter. I told the judge I had two daughters and that I couldn't possible give a fair verdict. The judge wasn't happy, but I was let go. I was about the 450th person to be brought up for empanelment and they only had one person on the jury at that point, so I wasn't alone. My guess is that the man eventually plea bargained.

[Merlin1958]

I don't understand the desire not to be called for jury duty either, though I don't long to be on them. I see the honor of being a part of the process. I love teaching the play 12 Angry Men each year in my English classes. At one point Juror 11, an immigrant, reminds the others that "We have a responsibility. This is a remarkable thing about democracy. That we are...ummmm... what is the word...Ah, notified! That we are notified by mail to come down to this place and decide on the guilt or innocence of a man we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. This is one of the reasons why we are strong." I couldn't agree with him more.

I have been in on a case, an interesting case about an undercover drug bust that went wrong - the case still haunts me a bit, as I the four men on trial were all part of a gang and I used to fear I was being followed home each day from the court house - members of the gang were clearly present each day of the trial.

And I had one case I really didn't want to be on and I let them know it - a man accused of raping his 8 year old daughter. I told the judge I had two daughters and that I couldn't possible give a fair verdict. The judge wasn't happy, but I was let go. I was about the 450th person to be brought up for empanelment and they only had one person on the jury at that point, so I wasn't alone. My guess is that the man eventually plea bargained.

I hear you and agree. I was called twice so far. I simply told them I was perfect for jury duty. I have the unique ability to spot the guilty immediately merely by looking at them!! Sadly, I was dismissed from duty and to this day do not understand why. LOL

[Merlin1958]

Changing it up a bit, anyone ever heard of these guys???

Probably old news to most of you guys but, I dug the shit out of this jam while watching, "Jay & Silent Bob: Reboot". Those guys are a guilty pleasure of mine. Stupid and sophomoric to be sure, but they generally crack me up enough to watch and enjoy. "DOGMA", IMHO is a HUGELY under rated comedy film that usually has me rolling on the floor time and again. As does most of their films. Never would have thought that from me, right?

Anyway, this band, Pistol Beauty, may be old news to a lot of you guys but, I'm going to be checking out their other stuff as well. The guitarist can wield an axe!!!!

[mae]

[MikeDuke]

This may be a dumb question, but is there a reason why everybody seems so eager to get out of jury duty?

I don't know much about it, besides that my dad was called about it one time years ago. But I don't believe he actually became a jury.
Obviously that was in France

I tried to get on a panel, but got cut day one.
I was one of the first 12 chosen for questioning (each side of the case can ask questions-and have a number of people they can decline).


An attorney for the prosecution was talking about evidence and poured himself a glass of "water". He then asked me what he had just consumed. I replied "a liquid". This brought chuckles from the courtroom-not from the attorney who then asked me what KIND of liquid he consumed. I replied "clear". The courtroom roared.
The prosecution then promptly thanked me for my service, and I was released.

I couldn't give rep yet but that had me laughing Jerome. Great answers.

[Randall Flagg]

My mother has been in the hospital for a month. She is near the end. As circumstances would have it, I was in the same hospital yesterday for 7 hours being treated for dehydration.

The hyenas who work for hospice in the hospital have been trying to get her out of the hospital (off their hands) for two weeks. They actually had two woman come to me in emergency to try and force a decision. Unreal.

[MikeDuke]

My mother has been in the hospital for a month. She is near the end. As circumstances would have it, I was in the same hospital yesterday for 7 hours being treated for dehydration.

The hyenas who work for hospice in the hospital have been trying to get her out of the hospital (off their hands) for two weeks. They actually had two woman come to me in emergency to try and force a decision. Unreal.

Sorry to hear this Jerome. Screw them. I hate to say it, but I am glad I got sick when I did. Things were different back then. Of course it did not hurt that my dad had great insurance through Temple U. But still,
I am hoping for the best. For you and your mom.

[Br!an]

My mother has been in the hospital for a month. She is near the end. As circumstances would have it, I was in the same hospital yesterday for 7 hours being treated for dehydration.

The hyenas who work for hospice in the hospital have been trying to get her out of the hospital (off their hands) for two weeks. They actually had two woman come to me in emergency to try and force a decision. Unreal.

That is unreal. I would not have been polite.

[herbertwest]

Very sorry to hear Jerome

[NeedfulKings]

My mother has been in the hospital for a month. She is near the end. As circumstances would have it, I was in the same hospital yesterday for 7 hours being treated for dehydration.

The hyenas who work for hospice in the hospital have been trying to get her out of the hospital (off their hands) for two weeks. They actually had two woman come to me in emergency to try and force a decision. Unreal.

Needless to say, we're thinking about you, Jerome. Sorry to hear you're going through this.

[Tommy]

Sorry to hear that RF. My best friend's mother died this morning in a hospice bed. She never drank nor smoke but was full of cancer and didn't have a clue until about two weeks ago. She basically went into a coma state and never came back out. I've known her since I was 14 years old. In the last 15 years of her life, she'd lost her husband, her son and both of her grandsons. Now my friend is in so much pain and I don't know what to do for him even after having been through this before with my father. Comfort isn't a quality I have in abundance. Damn! Life is awful sometimes.

[mae]

So sorry to hear this, RF and Tommy... Feels like ever since Covid this has been an almost constant in our lives... Stay strong, we're all thinking of you.

[webstar1000]

WOW.. so sorry to read this!!! Sorry

[herbertwest]

Sorry to hear that RF. My best friend's mother died this morning in a hospice bed. She never drank nor smoke but was full of cancer and didn't have a clue until about two weeks ago. She basically went into a coma state and never came back out. I've known her since I was 14 years old. In the last 15 years of her life, she'd lost her husband, her son and both of her grandsons. Now my friend is in so much pain and I don't know what to do for him even after having been through this before with my father. Comfort isn't a quality I have in abundance. Damn! Life is awful sometimes.

My sincere condoleances Tommy