My Turn

I got a jury summons today.

When I turned 18, I did not register to vote for one reason, I did not want to serve on a jury (at the time, my state picked the jury pool from the voter registration, I'm not sure if they still do or not). The process (which I had, of course, never actually experienced) seemed to be more trouble than it was worth, and the burden of possibly deciding someone's fate was too much for me.

Do you all remember current President Bush's first election victory? I do. I didn't vote in it, but I followed it. I saw and heard of some things happening that really shouldn't have happened. After that, I completed my voter registration. This was really for two reasons. One is that it was time for my voice to be heard. The second was that if I didn't have the right, I'd be out there fighting for it. I believe our voting system is flawed (a vote not for should count against, but it does not), but I will put my two cents in nonetheless.

In a matter of weeks, I got my first jury summons. Time to bite the bullet and just go do it, said I. Besides, it might be fun. I was not picked to actually serve on a jury, and then I was sent home. That was that, duty served. That wasn't so bad. And a part of me was a little disappointed that I didn't get chosen.

So, here it is again, some six years later. I'm ready to go in there in April, hope I get picked, or not as their needs demand. And if I do get picked, I'll do my best.

It is our right, in this country, to present our cases to our peers and have our peers provide unbiased conclusions about what we have to say. If I were on trial for something (which I hope to never be!), I would want that right. It is therefore my duty to do for others what I would want done for me.

All I can say is that people can change as they grow.