I Think I May be in Trouble....Again

Jury duty is an Americans civic duty.  It is a privilege we have to be tried before a group of our peers.  It beats being shot in the parking lot behind the court house by a throw of the dice. It is constitutional. It is the law, it is the right thing to do and I hate it. 

 I know I am wrong to feel this way. I probably should be ashamed, but I am not. It just is what it is and I do not want to be a part of it. However, this does not change one thing.  Every so often, I receive a summons in the mail for 2 weeks of jury duty.

The first time I received a summons, I threw it away.  Within a few days I received another letter informing me I could be held in contempt of court, subject to a $500 fine and possibly jail time, if I did not respond to my summons.  Needless to say, the next morning Tommy and I were at the court house. I explained to the bailiff the reason I could not participate was because we had bought our airlines tickets to Florida the week I was scheduled to be in court. They were non refundable.  She excused me. Smiled and said, "No problem, we will notify you later."  Sure enough when I got back from Florida, I had jury duty to serve for the next two weeks.

We had a trial, unhappily, I reported to the court house. I went with every intention of  NOT serving. As soon as the prosecutor started asking the jury questions, I listened waiting for my cue to decline.  I knew I couldn't lie, so I had to make sure I understood where my loophole happened to be.  I had no loophole.  None until the prosecutor asked if any of us felt like they could not give a guilty verdict.  I raided my hand and said, "I would want it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt before I could say guilty I mean really, really prove it to me."  The prosecutor  wanted to know if I could give a guilty verdict if it was 'really, really, proved to me.' Begrudgingly, I said 'yes.'  I was the first person he picked.  Note to self....be quiet in the courtroom.

Everything went fine until the jury was given the case.  After the bailiff took us to our room to deliberate the case,  he took our cell phones, locking the door as he left. Then all hell broke loose. I have never seen such mean people and I was one of them!

It was not pretty by any means. Fair but not pretty. A few weeks ago, I received another summons for jury duty. I set the notice by my recliner so I would not forget about it. Today, I remembered. Unfortunately, I have already missed the first week of jury duty. I forgot about it and did not call in for the first week at all. They frown on that. When I called today, the recording said there were no trials for Monday.  Good!! Hopefully, there were no trials for last week either. Tommy thinks I am ok.  Jody thinks I am going to jail.  

All I know for sure is that Tuesday is Election Day and I can't serve that day either, I have to vote and watch Fox News.  Hopefully, I will not be watching it from jail.