Document text
May 19 , 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 25, 2004 Zimmy Sez Jury duty? Things could be worse Steve Zimmerman Thought for the day ... If the wind blows hard enough and you walk fast enough ... you'll hum. Isn't it funny how people seem to always complain about jury duty? The right to a trial by jury in certain cases is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Any person who is entitled to a jury trial is entitled to a jury that represents the whole community. It is important that a fair cross section of the city's population is represented on the jury panel to prevent discrimination or bias. Most people selected for jury duty are selected for a 30-day period but do not usually sit for more than 10 days during that time. And they are paid a small stipend, usually $10 per day. If by chance, you do get to sit on a major felony trial, you will probably sit longer but you could be one of 12 people to make one of the most important decisions that year or for many years to come. That is something very few have the opportunity to do in their lives. And besides, if you put your mind to it, you could probably think of a lot worse tasks in life than jury duty. In Florida, if you register to vote, you automatically are put on the jury duty rolls. Because jury duty beats out sanitation or sewer workers on tasks one would least like to perform, scores of people in Florida will not register to vote. And that is a shame. If you absolutely cannot stomach jury duty, all you have to do to be excused is come up with a great excuse and you can be released from your obligation. And then, if your participation is tied into voting, you can perform the one other civic duty you should perform. Vote. So, in the public interest, here are a list of the top ten excuses to get out of jury duty: 10. My dog ate my child's homework 9. I won't put my dog in a cage so I can't see putting a human in one. 8. The only person I think deserves to be in jail is my ex. 7. They say a jury is made of the peers of the person on trial. Well, I'll have you know I have no peers. 6. If there are single chicks on my jury ... count me in. If not, I have a doctor's excuse. But I left it at home. 5. I think I would make a great juror. I thought O.J. was innocent you know. 4. I have a hard time making decisions so I tend to just go along with whatever the first person who speaks says. 3. I can't serve because I have a naturally guilty conscience and I lost my innocence at an early age. 2. Can I acquit? Of course I can. I quit my last job. And the number one excuse to use to get out of jury duty ... I am going to be in Miami, Florida playing in the Eighth Annual O.J. Simpson Search for the Real Killer Golf Tournament. Have a nice day. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams