I'm so frustrated right now. I've technically been on jury duty all this week, despite me making it perfectly clear that I am the ONLY person who can work while my boss is gone this week and my coworker is out of state. To make things extra fun, my boss doesn't pay people to serve on jury duty (honestly, I can't believe any employer would), so in addition to the inconvenience to myself, my employer, and our patients, I will actually be losing money. A lot of it. Luckily, my number hasn't been selected - until tonight for tomorrow morning. What exactly is so hard about giving people a little more advance notice? This is the exact crap in the link they emailed to me:
ALL JURORS MUST CHECK THIS WEBSITE AGAIN THURSDAY AT 11:30 A.M. FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON INSTRUCTIONS.
And when I wasn't selected (again) for that, they linked to this:
ALL JURORS MUST CHECK THIS WEBSITE AGAIN THURSDAY EVENING AT 5:30 P.M. FOR FRIDAYS INSTRUCTIONS. ALL JURORS ARE ON CALL UNTIL MARCH 26.
Excuse me, State of NM, but I have a little thing called a job. Sexy Nerd asked me which court I'm going to. Which court?! I have no freaking clue! I told him that I'll bring my laptop to pass the time. He said he doesn't think it's allowed because of the strict security/metal detectors/guard with guns/attack dogs. I get to go against my will to a dangerous place tomorrow. Oh goody!
I don't even believe in the legal system. A friend of mine was dragged through the mud because of a frivolous lawsuit. Yes, the jury came to the conclusion that the people who filed the lawsuit were scam artists and didn't deserve a cent. But this conclusion wasn't reached until TEN years later, after my friend had been forced to have her public reputation dragged through the mud. She spent tens of thousands of her own dollars fighting the lawsuit. Anyone who heard of it doubted it was even real based on the sheer ridiculousness of the case. Until it was finally resolved, she lived in constant paranoia about her and her family's future. And what happened to these scammers who sued her? These pieces of garbage who had to go through lawyer after lawyer before they finally found someone to accept their absurd case? Nothing whatsoever. They are supposed to pay their own legal fees but that's it. And, of course, they haven't paid a cent.
Every time I read the paper or watch the news, I'm bombarded with stories about horrible things that have happened to innocent people. The stories are always the same. The child molester has a long criminal history. The murderer has been in and out of trouble since 16. It makes me so sick! Decent people don't break into houses. They don't smash car windows, beat helpless animals, or shoplift. They don't drive drunk or embezzle from their unsuspecting employer. I read that if someone steals your identity, you will not be notified. No, that would violate the rights of the person who is impersonating you. Governor Richardson ended the death penalty in New Mexico, and based on it costing more to put an inmate to death than imprison them forever, I think he made the right choice. We spend so much ensuring that a criminal "gets a fair trial" (even the ones who are caught in the act) and, if they do actually make it all the way to a death sentence that sticks, we want it to be completely painless. Oh, like the painless, terror-free way the victims die, right?
What's the point of being on a jury and putting some scumbag in jail, just so they can be let right back out again? Just so we can pay for their housing and food and medical expenses, while innocent and good people go without?
There are so many people who would be a better fit for jury duty than me! Sexy Nerd actually likes to serve on jury duty. Unemployment is at a record high. Couldn't jury duty create jobs? It may not pay well, but it's better than nothing. As a tax payer, maybe I deserve a return on my Medicaid/Food Stamp/EBT Card/Welfare investment. Make those people serve.
I made it perfectly clear in my juror survey that I have anxiety problems, panic attacks, and am uncomfortable with the idea of driving downtown. If I'm killed in a car accident on my way to or from the courthouse tomorrow, I blame the State of New Mexico. I also have a well-documented lifelong struggle with insomnia. The stress from this has thrown it into overdrive.
Ahh, that was quite a ramble.
*UPDATE: Posting this helped me calm down a teenie bit. After posting it, I went to the juror website to figure out what the heck they want me to do tomorrow. I found this:
So much for calming down. I think I'll go take an Ambien.
ALL JURORS MUST CHECK THIS WEBSITE AGAIN THURSDAY AT 11:30 A.M. FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON INSTRUCTIONS.
And when I wasn't selected (again) for that, they linked to this:
ALL JURORS MUST CHECK THIS WEBSITE AGAIN THURSDAY EVENING AT 5:30 P.M. FOR FRIDAYS INSTRUCTIONS. ALL JURORS ARE ON CALL UNTIL MARCH 26.
Excuse me, State of NM, but I have a little thing called a job. Sexy Nerd asked me which court I'm going to. Which court?! I have no freaking clue! I told him that I'll bring my laptop to pass the time. He said he doesn't think it's allowed because of the strict security/metal detectors/guard with guns/attack dogs. I get to go against my will to a dangerous place tomorrow. Oh goody!
I don't even believe in the legal system. A friend of mine was dragged through the mud because of a frivolous lawsuit. Yes, the jury came to the conclusion that the people who filed the lawsuit were scam artists and didn't deserve a cent. But this conclusion wasn't reached until TEN years later, after my friend had been forced to have her public reputation dragged through the mud. She spent tens of thousands of her own dollars fighting the lawsuit. Anyone who heard of it doubted it was even real based on the sheer ridiculousness of the case. Until it was finally resolved, she lived in constant paranoia about her and her family's future. And what happened to these scammers who sued her? These pieces of garbage who had to go through lawyer after lawyer before they finally found someone to accept their absurd case? Nothing whatsoever. They are supposed to pay their own legal fees but that's it. And, of course, they haven't paid a cent.
Every time I read the paper or watch the news, I'm bombarded with stories about horrible things that have happened to innocent people. The stories are always the same. The child molester has a long criminal history. The murderer has been in and out of trouble since 16. It makes me so sick! Decent people don't break into houses. They don't smash car windows, beat helpless animals, or shoplift. They don't drive drunk or embezzle from their unsuspecting employer. I read that if someone steals your identity, you will not be notified. No, that would violate the rights of the person who is impersonating you. Governor Richardson ended the death penalty in New Mexico, and based on it costing more to put an inmate to death than imprison them forever, I think he made the right choice. We spend so much ensuring that a criminal "gets a fair trial" (even the ones who are caught in the act) and, if they do actually make it all the way to a death sentence that sticks, we want it to be completely painless. Oh, like the painless, terror-free way the victims die, right?
What's the point of being on a jury and putting some scumbag in jail, just so they can be let right back out again? Just so we can pay for their housing and food and medical expenses, while innocent and good people go without?
There are so many people who would be a better fit for jury duty than me! Sexy Nerd actually likes to serve on jury duty. Unemployment is at a record high. Couldn't jury duty create jobs? It may not pay well, but it's better than nothing. As a tax payer, maybe I deserve a return on my Medicaid/Food Stamp/EBT Card/Welfare investment. Make those people serve.
I made it perfectly clear in my juror survey that I have anxiety problems, panic attacks, and am uncomfortable with the idea of driving downtown. If I'm killed in a car accident on my way to or from the courthouse tomorrow, I blame the State of New Mexico. I also have a well-documented lifelong struggle with insomnia. The stress from this has thrown it into overdrive.
Ahh, that was quite a ramble.
*UPDATE: Posting this helped me calm down a teenie bit. After posting it, I went to the juror website to figure out what the heck they want me to do tomorrow. I found this:
"A complaint sometimes expressed by jurors concerns the unexplained time seemingly wasted during jury selection and trials. What might appear to be wasted time is actually being used by the judge and attorneys working on matters that must be done outside the presence of the jury."
Let me know if you have the same thought about this as I do: WORK ON THESE MATTERS DURING YOUR OWN DAMN TIME, WHEN I'M NOT MISSING WORK TO BE THERE AGAINST MY WILL!
So much for calming down. I think I'll go take an Ambien.