The triumphant return

[tim]

I had a layover in Minneapolis, but I didn't see Larry Craig.

The plane from Amsterdam to Minneapolis had individual video screens with video on demand. Despite there being about 60 different movies available, the only one I actually wanted to watch was "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". (I watched it. It was okay, but I think I've now seen enough '80s teen movies for a lifetime. If I feel the need to watch another, I'll just watch "Heathers" again.) I watched the first few minutes each of "State of Play", "Lol" (not kidding), "The Uninvited", and "Two Lovers", all of which seemed crap, before settling on "April Bride" as a second movie. It wasn't bad, but the plane landed about halfway through.

There were also games. There was a trivia game where you could play against other people on the same flight, and it also had an all-time hall of fame with people listed by their seat number and flight number.

Having shown my passport once in Portland, twice in Amsterdam, four times in Bristol, twice in Edinburgh, and once in Minneapolis, I didn't get my gender contested once. So that's good (I guess). This might have been the last time I fly out of or into the US, given recent policy changes.

Now I'm sick, so the quest for a thesis topic will have to wait at least one more day.

Poll #1279

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

View Respondents

Check all the things you've done (poll may only apply to Americans, I don't know):

View Answers

received a notice requiring you to appear for jury duty
12 (92.3%)

evaded a jury duty notice
2 (15.4%)

shown up to serve for jury duty
8 (61.5%)

been questioned as a potential juror
6 (46.2%)

been selected as a juror
1 (7.7%)

been selected as an alternate juror
0 (0.0%)

served on a jury
1 (7.7%)

served on a grand jury
0 (0.0%)

served on a jury more than once
0 (0.0%)

been excused from jury duty for being a student
3 (23.1%)

been excused from jury duty based on your job
1 (7.7%)

been excused from jury duty based on your political views
0 (0.0%)

been excused from jury duty based on anything else
5 (38.5%)

something else you'd like to talk about
4 (30.8%)

Comments

[autumnus]

oh the jury duty mail we got as international student. Seriously you'd think that MA would figure out I was international and exempted after the mail returned, properly checked but NO.

Last one arrived to Turkey 3 months later than the actual duty was due, about 5 months after I graduated.

ROFL

[etb]

I'm interpreting "evaded" loosely: I got a summons in Multnomah County, called, told them I was a full-time student at Portland State, and they told me not to show up. Based on my later experiences in Pennsylvania, the prosecution would have found some way to kick me off anyway.

I think the poll pretty much applies to Canadians too, but you can't get a jury trial in Canada unless you're accused of something really serious, so the odds of anyone having been selected are pretty low. WE HAVE NO FREEDOMS HERE

[luinied]

The first time I was excused for being out of the state, but that just delayed the notice until later. The second time I made it to the individual decision rounds, and I have no idea what I was excused for; they knew everything that seemed excusing-worthy well before that point.

[etb]

I don't know if this is true in all states, but in many, you can get dropped just because one side doesn't like you. They don't even need to make up a reason. Each side only gets a few "challenges" of that kind, so it's a tricky game for the lawyers, especially when they only have one challenge left.

[miang]

[X] Been registered to vote in every state you've lived in since age 18 (n=4 over 11 years) and never been summoned for jury duty even once

The ridiculous thing is I'd like to go. In grad school it would have been a welcome alternative to regular life, and here we get jury duty pay, so I wouldn't suffer for doing it; I do believe it's an important part of the civic process; and although I think the chances of me ever making it onto a jury duty are extra-slim to none (I had prelims covering group dynamics, for goodness sake), I like the idea of having the opportunity to interrupt groupthink, stop someone from getting railroaded, etc. But it refuses to happen, even as everyone around me gets summoned.

[luinied]

Man, you realize that, if you actually made it to deliberations, you'd have to endure the reasoning process of randomly selected Americans, right? One of our professors was in this position some years back (tim: it was Benjamin Pierce, which may make this more amusing), and he was so disheartened.

[tim]

Well, I think it would be fun to try to make them see the light. (What, you mean real life isn't necessarily like "12 Angry Men"?)

[juli]

I don't think 12 Angry Men looks like fun at all.

[tim]

Not even being the hero who gets to save an innocent guy from jail?

[juli]

The process looks unpleasant and I am unsure of my ability to achieve success. I mean, shit. Have you seen the things that people believe about Obama despite massive evidence to the contrary?

[tim]

Well, it's a task that is sort of limited in scope and you would have a captive audience and the freedom to focus on nothing else for the duration. For those reasons, the idea appeals to me, unlike, say, getting the entire population to understand that Saddam Hussein didn't cause 9/11. I know in reality I'd be more likely to get assigned to a boring civil case if I ever got on a jury... but one can dream...

[anemone.livejournal.com]

I once put off jury duty (and eventually did it at an even more inconvenient time).

The reason I was excused from the jury was becuase I had a wedding to attend.

[eriktrips]

I'm not sure I should say this here but

I've never once shown up for jury duty when summoned.

I've been excused a couple of times, but the others were just plain no-shows.

I probably have a silly warrant out for my arrest. Severe social phobia. I has it. If they ever come for me I will probably pursue the disability excuse even though I am not yet certified disabled by the SSA. But they know shit about what being disabled really consists of.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.