OT: Jury Duty! Help!

[dharmagirl]

I’m actually outraged with our justice system after watching my friend go through what seemed like a complete travesty of “justice.”

I DON’T know many women who would be eager to open their front door when bra-less, still in pajamas, and hair sticking up in every direction – much less when it looks like a crowd of people is at the door.

Linda may have technically “obstructed” their efforts to legally enter her house with her reaction to shut the door, but she thinks she was charged because they couldnt find anything to hang her husband with, and needed to justify the expense of the search.

When I read what PD wrote about charging people with more serious crimes – just to get a lower plea – it made me queasy. It’s just so wrong.

[scaredyclassic]

You know, on the other hand, in spite of all this, it’s really a pretty good system. Everyone always says it’s the best in the world, and I have no idea if that’s true, and i tend to doubt whether anyone who ever makes this bold statement really knows if it’s true either, but it’s not a grossly unfair system on balance. It’s a big, inexact, expensive, inefficient machine that gets it wrong a lot, but it does work a lot too! I guess our expectations are high. if you’re expectations were very very low, then you might be pleasantly surprised when the right result is reached, which does happen. It is sometimes said among publci defenders that “i would plead my grandmother toa freaking misdemeanor”, meaning, if you’re charged witha
felony and you can gets a misdemeanor, you should probably jump all over it. Maybe the price of crime ultimately is related to the price of real estate. The wealthier a society becomes, the more it values property, the less tolerant of crime, and the higher the price that must be paid when the rules are broken. I have no diea if that is true or not but it soudned good for a second…

Drink Heavily.

[scaredyclassic]

You know, on the other hand, in spite of all this, it’s really a pretty good system. Everyone always says it’s the best in the world, and I have no idea if that’s true, and i tend to doubt whether anyone who ever makes this bold statement really knows if it’s true either, but it’s not a grossly unfair system on balance. It’s a big, inexact, expensive, inefficient machine that gets it wrong a lot, but it does work a lot too! I guess our expectations are high. if you’re expectations were very very low, then you might be pleasantly surprised when the right result is reached, which does happen. It is sometimes said among publci defenders that “i would plead my grandmother toa freaking misdemeanor”, meaning, if you’re charged witha
felony and you can gets a misdemeanor, you should probably jump all over it. Maybe the price of crime ultimately is related to the price of real estate. The wealthier a society becomes, the more it values property, the less tolerant of crime, and the higher the price that must be paid when the rules are broken. I have no diea if that is true or not but it soudned good for a second…

Drink Heavily.

[scaredyclassic]

You know, on the other hand, in spite of all this, it’s really a pretty good system. Everyone always says it’s the best in the world, and I have no idea if that’s true, and i tend to doubt whether anyone who ever makes this bold statement really knows if it’s true either, but it’s not a grossly unfair system on balance. It’s a big, inexact, expensive, inefficient machine that gets it wrong a lot, but it does work a lot too! I guess our expectations are high. if you’re expectations were very very low, then you might be pleasantly surprised when the right result is reached, which does happen. It is sometimes said among publci defenders that “i would plead my grandmother toa freaking misdemeanor”, meaning, if you’re charged witha
felony and you can gets a misdemeanor, you should probably jump all over it. Maybe the price of crime ultimately is related to the price of real estate. The wealthier a society becomes, the more it values property, the less tolerant of crime, and the higher the price that must be paid when the rules are broken. I have no diea if that is true or not but it soudned good for a second…

Drink Heavily.

[scaredyclassic]

You know, on the other hand, in spite of all this, it’s really a pretty good system. Everyone always says it’s the best in the world, and I have no idea if that’s true, and i tend to doubt whether anyone who ever makes this bold statement really knows if it’s true either, but it’s not a grossly unfair system on balance. It’s a big, inexact, expensive, inefficient machine that gets it wrong a lot, but it does work a lot too! I guess our expectations are high. if you’re expectations were very very low, then you might be pleasantly surprised when the right result is reached, which does happen. It is sometimes said among publci defenders that “i would plead my grandmother toa freaking misdemeanor”, meaning, if you’re charged witha
felony and you can gets a misdemeanor, you should probably jump all over it. Maybe the price of crime ultimately is related to the price of real estate. The wealthier a society becomes, the more it values property, the less tolerant of crime, and the higher the price that must be paid when the rules are broken. I have no diea if that is true or not but it soudned good for a second…

Drink Heavily.

[scaredyclassic]

You know, on the other hand, in spite of all this, it’s really a pretty good system. Everyone always says it’s the best in the world, and I have no idea if that’s true, and i tend to doubt whether anyone who ever makes this bold statement really knows if it’s true either, but it’s not a grossly unfair system on balance. It’s a big, inexact, expensive, inefficient machine that gets it wrong a lot, but it does work a lot too! I guess our expectations are high. if you’re expectations were very very low, then you might be pleasantly surprised when the right result is reached, which does happen. It is sometimes said among publci defenders that “i would plead my grandmother toa freaking misdemeanor”, meaning, if you’re charged witha
felony and you can gets a misdemeanor, you should probably jump all over it. Maybe the price of crime ultimately is related to the price of real estate. The wealthier a society becomes, the more it values property, the less tolerant of crime, and the higher the price that must be paid when the rules are broken. I have no diea if that is true or not but it soudned good for a second…

Drink Heavily.

[DWCAP]

I have had to come to terms with the fact that the cops really dont care about me. Police use to treat white people well, and harass the minorities. They got alot of flack for that, and instead of starting to treat everyone well, the went the other way and started to treat everyone like they are violent criminals.

I have a friend who’s brother joined a CA sheriffs office. I asked him about it, and his response went something like this: “It is great! They teach you to take total control of the situtation and that you have all the power. Who needs all that ‘negotiation’ skills stuff my parents have been trying to teach me for so long? I just have to go to a situtation and own it, cause the law is always on my side.”

I grew up with this guy, I know him well. The fact he is now legally carrying a gun everywhere and people will just start bowing to his will cause they have to scares the living hell outa me.

[DWCAP]

I have had to come to terms with the fact that the cops really dont care about me. Police use to treat white people well, and harass the minorities. They got alot of flack for that, and instead of starting to treat everyone well, the went the other way and started to treat everyone like they are violent criminals.

I have a friend who’s brother joined a CA sheriffs office. I asked him about it, and his response went something like this: “It is great! They teach you to take total control of the situtation and that you have all the power. Who needs all that ‘negotiation’ skills stuff my parents have been trying to teach me for so long? I just have to go to a situtation and own it, cause the law is always on my side.”

I grew up with this guy, I know him well. The fact he is now legally carrying a gun everywhere and people will just start bowing to his will cause they have to scares the living hell outa me.

[DWCAP]

I have had to come to terms with the fact that the cops really dont care about me. Police use to treat white people well, and harass the minorities. They got alot of flack for that, and instead of starting to treat everyone well, the went the other way and started to treat everyone like they are violent criminals.

I have a friend who’s brother joined a CA sheriffs office. I asked him about it, and his response went something like this: “It is great! They teach you to take total control of the situtation and that you have all the power. Who needs all that ‘negotiation’ skills stuff my parents have been trying to teach me for so long? I just have to go to a situtation and own it, cause the law is always on my side.”

I grew up with this guy, I know him well. The fact he is now legally carrying a gun everywhere and people will just start bowing to his will cause they have to scares the living hell outa me.

[DWCAP]

I have had to come to terms with the fact that the cops really dont care about me. Police use to treat white people well, and harass the minorities. They got alot of flack for that, and instead of starting to treat everyone well, the went the other way and started to treat everyone like they are violent criminals.

I have a friend who’s brother joined a CA sheriffs office. I asked him about it, and his response went something like this: “It is great! They teach you to take total control of the situtation and that you have all the power. Who needs all that ‘negotiation’ skills stuff my parents have been trying to teach me for so long? I just have to go to a situtation and own it, cause the law is always on my side.”

I grew up with this guy, I know him well. The fact he is now legally carrying a gun everywhere and people will just start bowing to his will cause they have to scares the living hell outa me.

[DWCAP]

I have had to come to terms with the fact that the cops really dont care about me. Police use to treat white people well, and harass the minorities. They got alot of flack for that, and instead of starting to treat everyone well, the went the other way and started to treat everyone like they are violent criminals.

I have a friend who’s brother joined a CA sheriffs office. I asked him about it, and his response went something like this: “It is great! They teach you to take total control of the situtation and that you have all the power. Who needs all that ‘negotiation’ skills stuff my parents have been trying to teach me for so long? I just have to go to a situtation and own it, cause the law is always on my side.”

I grew up with this guy, I know him well. The fact he is now legally carrying a gun everywhere and people will just start bowing to his will cause they have to scares the living hell outa me.

[nostradamus]

pd I don’t know if it’s the best in the world but if it is, I think that’s a horrible statement about the world.

I was crossing the street downtown and my walk light was green. All the cars turning left in front of me kept turning, none of them stopped for me even though my light was green. One of those cars was a cop. He rolled down his window and said I better not j-walk. I pointed out that my light was green, it was a crosswalk, and that HE was turning on a red light and cutting me off. He told me if I’m going to mouth off like that he’ll arrest me next time he sees me. That’s my experience # 1.

Experience #2: I was scuba-diving, hunting for lobster. To hunt lobster you must follow these laws: they must be in season, you must have a fishing license, it must be an unprotected area, and the main lobster carapace must be 3 & 1/4″ or bigger. I caught a lobster and thought I met all of those. When I got out of the water, the department of fish and game swooped down on me (it was night) armed like a swat team. They measured my lobster, to them it was 1/2mm undersized. It is well known that when the water drains out of it, the lobster shrinks a bit but even then, come on, only half a millimeter off? I had a permit, it was a legal area, it was in season, and it was clearly a borderline offense. One thing was clear: I tried my best to follow all the laws. So they cited me and in the process threatened to “confiscate my gear” which is worth about $3000.

Then I had to go to court. First, the court lost my records so when I showed up, they said to go home and forget about it. I had taken the day off thus lost income. 6 months later I got a letter, they found my records and wanted me to come back to court. Another day away from income. I met with a prosecutor who gave me a “plea” bargain that she would only charge me with an “infraction” and I’d pay $300. I accepted but in the courtroom was disgusted to see that a man who had repeatedly been caught poaching all kinds of animals, and who was caught with a truckload of baby lobsters and other creatures, was given the exact same deal. Knowing that they treat people who try to follow all the laws the exact same way they treat flagrant violators, do you think I’m going to care enough to be such a good “law-biding” citizen any more? I think our justice system actually CREATES criminals.

Now, when someone does a background check on me, I have to explain that this “criminal” infraction is about a lobster. I usually get a laugh out of it.

[nostradamus]

pd I don’t know if it’s the best in the world but if it is, I think that’s a horrible statement about the world.

I was crossing the street downtown and my walk light was green. All the cars turning left in front of me kept turning, none of them stopped for me even though my light was green. One of those cars was a cop. He rolled down his window and said I better not j-walk. I pointed out that my light was green, it was a crosswalk, and that HE was turning on a red light and cutting me off. He told me if I’m going to mouth off like that he’ll arrest me next time he sees me. That’s my experience # 1.

Experience #2: I was scuba-diving, hunting for lobster. To hunt lobster you must follow these laws: they must be in season, you must have a fishing license, it must be an unprotected area, and the main lobster carapace must be 3 & 1/4″ or bigger. I caught a lobster and thought I met all of those. When I got out of the water, the department of fish and game swooped down on me (it was night) armed like a swat team. They measured my lobster, to them it was 1/2mm undersized. It is well known that when the water drains out of it, the lobster shrinks a bit but even then, come on, only half a millimeter off? I had a permit, it was a legal area, it was in season, and it was clearly a borderline offense. One thing was clear: I tried my best to follow all the laws. So they cited me and in the process threatened to “confiscate my gear” which is worth about $3000.

Then I had to go to court. First, the court lost my records so when I showed up, they said to go home and forget about it. I had taken the day off thus lost income. 6 months later I got a letter, they found my records and wanted me to come back to court. Another day away from income. I met with a prosecutor who gave me a “plea” bargain that she would only charge me with an “infraction” and I’d pay $300. I accepted but in the courtroom was disgusted to see that a man who had repeatedly been caught poaching all kinds of animals, and who was caught with a truckload of baby lobsters and other creatures, was given the exact same deal. Knowing that they treat people who try to follow all the laws the exact same way they treat flagrant violators, do you think I’m going to care enough to be such a good “law-biding” citizen any more? I think our justice system actually CREATES criminals.

Now, when someone does a background check on me, I have to explain that this “criminal” infraction is about a lobster. I usually get a laugh out of it.

[nostradamus]

pd I don’t know if it’s the best in the world but if it is, I think that’s a horrible statement about the world.

I was crossing the street downtown and my walk light was green. All the cars turning left in front of me kept turning, none of them stopped for me even though my light was green. One of those cars was a cop. He rolled down his window and said I better not j-walk. I pointed out that my light was green, it was a crosswalk, and that HE was turning on a red light and cutting me off. He told me if I’m going to mouth off like that he’ll arrest me next time he sees me. That’s my experience # 1.

Experience #2: I was scuba-diving, hunting for lobster. To hunt lobster you must follow these laws: they must be in season, you must have a fishing license, it must be an unprotected area, and the main lobster carapace must be 3 & 1/4″ or bigger. I caught a lobster and thought I met all of those. When I got out of the water, the department of fish and game swooped down on me (it was night) armed like a swat team. They measured my lobster, to them it was 1/2mm undersized. It is well known that when the water drains out of it, the lobster shrinks a bit but even then, come on, only half a millimeter off? I had a permit, it was a legal area, it was in season, and it was clearly a borderline offense. One thing was clear: I tried my best to follow all the laws. So they cited me and in the process threatened to “confiscate my gear” which is worth about $3000.

Then I had to go to court. First, the court lost my records so when I showed up, they said to go home and forget about it. I had taken the day off thus lost income. 6 months later I got a letter, they found my records and wanted me to come back to court. Another day away from income. I met with a prosecutor who gave me a “plea” bargain that she would only charge me with an “infraction” and I’d pay $300. I accepted but in the courtroom was disgusted to see that a man who had repeatedly been caught poaching all kinds of animals, and who was caught with a truckload of baby lobsters and other creatures, was given the exact same deal. Knowing that they treat people who try to follow all the laws the exact same way they treat flagrant violators, do you think I’m going to care enough to be such a good “law-biding” citizen any more? I think our justice system actually CREATES criminals.

Now, when someone does a background check on me, I have to explain that this “criminal” infraction is about a lobster. I usually get a laugh out of it.

[nostradamus]

pd I don’t know if it’s the best in the world but if it is, I think that’s a horrible statement about the world.

I was crossing the street downtown and my walk light was green. All the cars turning left in front of me kept turning, none of them stopped for me even though my light was green. One of those cars was a cop. He rolled down his window and said I better not j-walk. I pointed out that my light was green, it was a crosswalk, and that HE was turning on a red light and cutting me off. He told me if I’m going to mouth off like that he’ll arrest me next time he sees me. That’s my experience # 1.

Experience #2: I was scuba-diving, hunting for lobster. To hunt lobster you must follow these laws: they must be in season, you must have a fishing license, it must be an unprotected area, and the main lobster carapace must be 3 & 1/4″ or bigger. I caught a lobster and thought I met all of those. When I got out of the water, the department of fish and game swooped down on me (it was night) armed like a swat team. They measured my lobster, to them it was 1/2mm undersized. It is well known that when the water drains out of it, the lobster shrinks a bit but even then, come on, only half a millimeter off? I had a permit, it was a legal area, it was in season, and it was clearly a borderline offense. One thing was clear: I tried my best to follow all the laws. So they cited me and in the process threatened to “confiscate my gear” which is worth about $3000.

Then I had to go to court. First, the court lost my records so when I showed up, they said to go home and forget about it. I had taken the day off thus lost income. 6 months later I got a letter, they found my records and wanted me to come back to court. Another day away from income. I met with a prosecutor who gave me a “plea” bargain that she would only charge me with an “infraction” and I’d pay $300. I accepted but in the courtroom was disgusted to see that a man who had repeatedly been caught poaching all kinds of animals, and who was caught with a truckload of baby lobsters and other creatures, was given the exact same deal. Knowing that they treat people who try to follow all the laws the exact same way they treat flagrant violators, do you think I’m going to care enough to be such a good “law-biding” citizen any more? I think our justice system actually CREATES criminals.

Now, when someone does a background check on me, I have to explain that this “criminal” infraction is about a lobster. I usually get a laugh out of it.

[Author]

Posts