*groan*
For years, i didn't vote. i cast no ballot in the governance of myself, nor did i complain about said governance. i was at ease. Sadly, in a previous election season i felt compelled to voice my choice and take action to see that my ballot was heard. It was a drastic call, and one that i knew would bear a terrible burden, one that i must now repay.
Tomorrow, i show up for jury duty.
Jury duty is the punishment one gets for thinking you should have a say in the way that society should act. The act of registering to vote adds your lucky-lucky name to the list of folks who get to spend a week a year trying desperately not to sit and listen to two grown adults have a incredibly boring argument where you're expected to pay attention while those same adults try to confuse you. It's like being trapped in a car with no engine while they sit in the back seat and ask "Are we there yet?" Even worse, you can't just turn around and give them an answer until they shut up and let you. It's being forced to watch the absolute worst, commercial free marathon of Law and Order: Insomnia Squad.
And don't give me any crap about "They'll call you if you don't register." Bull. i was happily Jury Duty free for years until i caved to people asking me why i didn't vote, and the very next year after i did? i got on the list. That, ladies and gentlemen of the disgruntled and bored group i now belong to, isn't an accident, it's an effect.
You know what we need? Professional jurors. Folks who willingly sit around and listen to crap in hopes that one day they get picked for the next OJ trial. Granted, most of those folks would be north of 75 and we'd get rulings like "No more loud rap music during reruns of Matlock" and "Internet Pirates need to sail the interweb in smaller ships", but then, it's not too different than what we get now. Only now i get to spend tomorrow morning (hopefully just the morning) sitting with other folks and hoping we're not worthy peers to one or more corporate interests.
People wonder why less and less folks vote. They fear the man in the black robe.
i found out that i'm on the panel for a spite suit. That means that it's absolutely going to trial, it's absolutely going to jury, and it's absolutely going to last at least three weeks. My only hope is convincing the lawyers involved that i am not the best candidate for active or stand-by duty.
…or inform them i have pre-existing travel plans in November. Wonder if i can use that?
Jury duty in Alaska is culled from the Permanent Fund Dividend application file, not the voter registration. You want money? You serve your time.
You citizens get to do all the fun stuff.
Correlation is not causation!
And:
Hey, at least you're not on fire! You're safely away from the mad inferno, yes?
Sometimes your job will get you cleared of that if you lean a little heavier on some information technology background. Hundreds of millions of people use Y! every day - surely there's some conflict of interest out of that.
No really, you still get called even if you don't register.
Honest, I'm not kidding. You can't hide, even if it's illegal for you to serve - they will bother you.
I really hate this tiny little comment box you force me to type into! :P
Damn, forgot about that. Doesn't make me any happier.
Oh, and this tiny box is annoying. Steve's is created from pure spite. I've been thinking about redoing the comment entry thing anyway, so I may fix the problem soon.
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