Gold Base Staff no longer exempt from Jury Duty (merged thread)

[GoNuclear]

The solution is easy, as far as the cult is concerned. If I was the top banana, what I would do is this ... as part of the sec checking procedure to get someone elibigible for service at the int base ... part of the deal would be to see if they have a valid California Driver's License and/or are registered to vote and if so where. If they were registered to vote in California or held a valid California Driver's License or valid California ID card, they would not be allowed to serve on the int base, plain and simple. I would make sure that nobody on the base was either registered to vote in California, and, if they had a Driver's License, it would be an out of state one. No muss, no fuss, no pesky summonses to serve on Jury duty. BTW, those summonses are 99.99% ignorable, nothing ever happens, or nearly nothing. Once in a great while, IF they are short of prospective jurors and IF they REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED SOME WARM BODIES in those 12 chairs, they will either call or show up at your house. Punitive measures are a last resort because they are counter-productive or have the potential to be.

About the only people that serve on jury duty these days are certifiable morons, or, perhaps have an agenda. I know if it were me, what I would want would be to sit on either a drug case or a tax case to guarantee either a not guilty verdict or a hung jury.

Pete

[been there]

Sorry, Go Nuclear. It seems to me that you are being a bit cynical. Just because one has an out of state license does not mean that they won't be served by the state in which they are registered to drive. Yes, they would probably be excused but they would still have to respond to the summons.
In California these days it's very difficult to get out of jury duty. You cannot just plead hardship or that work won't allow you to go anymore. I believe there are now laws in place that make it illegal for employers keep employees from serving, whether by witholding pay or other means. The only way to really get out of jury duty is during voire dire, when the attornies quetion you as to your beliefs vis a vis the trial. Even attorneys must serve jury duty.
I have served on a couple of jurys and I have found that the folks I have been impaneled with to be clever, witty and smart.

[Moderator 1]

Maybe the Mods would combine these threads regarding reported Int base voting rights abuses?

Done.

[GoNuclear]

Sorry, Go Nuclear. It seems to me that you are being a bit cynical. Just because one has an out of state license does not mean that they won't be served by the state in which they are registered to drive. Yes, they would probably be excused but they would still have to respond to the summons.
In California these days it's very difficult to get out of jury duty. You cannot just plead hardship or that work won't allow you to go anymore. I believe there are now laws in place that make it illegal for employers keep employees from serving, whether by witholding pay or other means. The only way to really get out of jury duty is during voire dire, when the attornies quetion you as to your beliefs vis a vis the trial. Even attorneys must serve jury duty.
I have served on a couple of jurys and I have found that the folks I have been impaneled with to be clever, witty and smart.

Clever,witty, and smart ... anyone who gives the govt. a guilty verdict for a drug charge ... either posession or sale ... and/or anyone who votes in favor of the govt. in any tax case, is a certifiable, Constitution trashing moron. Handing the govt. it's ass in these cases repeatedly would have a very healthy, freedom restoring effect. Jury nullification is by and large what forced the repeal of Prohibition ... the ammendment was repealed after politicians realized that if people kept voting not guilty in alchohol cases, their power would be diminished.

Shooting heroin, smoking crack, taking speed, etc. in order to achieve temporary relief from frustration or the rigors of reality is, generally speaking, a poor choice for medicating ones's self. On the other hand, who the phug is govt. to say you can't medicate yourself as you see fit. Freedom includes the freedom to make a fool of yourself without the govt. stopping you from doing so. Making a fool of yourself is not good, but freedom is. Enjoy freedom wisely. And phug anyone who wants to infringe, abridge, abrogate, or otherwise limite in any way, shape or fashion our liberty and/or the rights we have been born with.

Pete

[RogerB]

Clever,witty, and smart ... anyone who gives the govt. a guilty verdict for a drug charge ... either posession or sale ... and/or anyone who votes in favor of the govt. in any tax case, is a certifiable, Constitution trashing moron. Handing the govt. it's ass in these cases repeatedly would have a very healthy, freedom restoring effect. Jury nullification is by and large what forced the repeal of Prohibition ... the ammendment was repealed after politicians realized that if people kept voting not guilty in alchohol cases, their power would be diminished.

Shooting heroin, smoking crack, taking speed, etc. in order to achieve temporary relief from frustration or the rigors of reality is, generally speaking, a poor choice for medicating ones's self. On the other hand, who the phug is govt. to say you can't medicate yourself as you see fit. Freedom includes the freedom to make a fool of yourself without the govt. stopping you from doing so. Making a fool of yourself is not good, but freedom is. Enjoy freedom wisely. And phug anyone who wants to infringe, abridge, abrogate, or otherwise limite in any way, shape or fashion our liberty and/or the rights we have been born with.

Pete

I can see you'll be a Ron Paul supporter, Pete.

He sings your true freedom song too . . .

And a good thing it is too.

Not being a citizen, I am spared the jury duty thing, but my sweet Virginia has had to stand tall and deliver.

She got roped in to do a Grand Jury, and had the time of her life. Loved it.

Grand Juries don't have to decide things like guilt or innocence, but only if there is a valid case to answer as in: "does the prosecution of this case make sense , is it just?"

Virginia was proud to be able to tell the Fuzz that they'd screwed up and should never have brought "this case" . . . the man has no case to answer or defend.

Interestingly enough, there was an opinion piece in the editorial section of the New York Times earlier this week on the issue of "Juror Nullification."

What that is, is the right and duty guaranteed in the Bill of Rights to nullify guilt (example if the idiot Feds brought charges against someone in California for using medical pot) even when proven if such nullification of the facts and charges would prevent an injustice or prevent, as in your case, the transgression or violation of our rights and freedoms.

Of course, Jury Nullification can be and has been used improperly

The guy who wrote the piece is currently a Prof of Law and a former State Prosecutor . . . he is in favor of making jurors aware of this Right.

Rog

[been there]

I do not want to get into a debate about individual rights, etc. The point was that even if person has an out of state license, they still have to respond to a Jury Summons from that state. Whether they go or not, they still have to respond.
And, as I said before, getting out of Jury Duty in CA is difficult. You MUST show up for at least one day, if only to get yourself off the list. And that isn't easy either.
I served on a eight week murder trial and I found my fellow jurors to be - not morons.
I served on a month long corruption trial and found my fellow jurors to be - not morons.
I served on a possesion for sale trial and found my fellow jurors to be - not morons.
I was a witness in a breaking and entering trial and found those jurors to be - not morons.

[SweetnessandLight]

Thread Bump for the Newbies!

A hip hip hooray for systems change advocacy!!!

Has anyone else worked on this elsewhere for SO members? Probably no-one is as locked-down as the INT Base inmates...uh, I mean residents. But this might also be a situation for others elsewhere.

[Smurf]

And, as I said before, getting out of Jury Duty in CA is difficult. You MUST show up for at least one day, if only to get yourself off the list. And that isn't easy either.

That's not so much the case anymore. People have learned ways to buck the system and in the U.S., it is predicted that 1/4 of all people summoned for jury duty, actually respond.

[GoNuclear]

I do not want to get into a debate about individual rights, etc. The point was that even if person has an out of state license, they still have to respond to a Jury Summons from that state. Whether they go or not, they still have to respond.
And, as I said before, getting out of Jury Duty in CA is difficult. You MUST show up for at least one day, if only to get yourself off the list. And that isn't easy either.
I served on a eight week murder trial and I found my fellow jurors to be - not morons.
I served on a month long corruption trial and found my fellow jurors to be - not morons.
I served on a possesion for sale trial and found my fellow jurors to be - not morons.
I was a witness in a breaking and entering trial and found those jurors to be - not morons.

Getting out of jury duty is extremely easy, here is how: when they ask you on the form they send in the mail if you are a "US citizen" send them a letter back asking, if they mean by that phrase, a citizen who is deriving citizenship of the federal govt. first via the 14th ammendment. The answer is yes, but you want to make them say that. You then send back the form explaining that you would be very happy to serve, but, you are a Citizen of (Yourstate) and that you are a domicilee, not a "resident." You will never hear from them again.

Pete