Godfrey Smith: Mike, I wouldn't worry. Prosperity is just around the corner. Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner. My Man Godfrey (1936)
Not only yes, but hell yes!! You might save some innocent citizen from being railroaded and having to cough-up thousands of $$$ to an attorney just to prove his/her obvious innocence.
_________________________________________________________________________ Obama is the miscegenated bastard of a white communist whore. True story.
“The best and first guarantor of our neutrality and our independent existence is the defensive will of the people…and the proverbial marksmanship of the Swiss shooter. Each soldier a good marksman! Each shot a hit!” -Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
Nullification. It places the power to judge the law and the facts in the hands and conscience of the people where it rightly resides. I have always wanted to be a cog in the grinding wheels of The State through the mechanism of jury duty, yet have never been called.
I've been called and never saw a full trial yet. They usually dismiss for some lawyer-ly reason before we get to the point of needing the actual jury. My fingers are crossed though.
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
Should I serve on the Travis County grand jury? Thanks for your thoughts and comments.
Oh Hell Yes! On the Grand Jury you will be judging whether charges will be brought, warrants issued, etc. You can have a great time there. If something comes across that is blatantly stupid and the DA is trying to do a slippendichtomy to some poor slob for J-Walking or other, you can monkeywrench it! Do it! You'll have a great time!!
Luke The Spook!!
The IQ and the life expectancy of the average American recently passed each other in opposite directions. - George Carlin
Definitely ! Ya might get a chance to free some tax protester or jail an abusive cop.
YOU only count when it's census or TAX time" ... don't you find it ironic that the census bureau says they rely upon the Constitution for their authority and pays their help in UNCONSTITUTIONAL FRNs ... bend over and lick the hand that beats you !
"...as long as there..remain active enemies of the Christian church, we may hope to become Master of the World...the future Jewish King will never reign in the world before Christianity is overthrown - B'nai B'rith speechhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/luther.htm / http://bible.cc/psalms/83-4.htm
Someone who's actually served, please weigh in here.
Thanks.
I haven't, but I know a libertarian friend that did get called to server on a GJ in MD.
On a GJ, you get to ask any question you want of the jackboots. It's very informal and you can challenge them on their constitutional authority to bring whatever charges they are seeking.
On the one in MD, they only needed a majority of votes on the whole GJ to have an indictment be served, so there's no hanging it. At the very least you can embarrass the gov agents and make them trip over themselves answering questions YOU come up with, so they dance for you. At best, you can educate your peers on the jury and slow the machine down for a bit.
For my friend, I think he served every Thursday for a month or two. Something like that.
Yes, absolutely getting on a GJ is as good as it gets in clogging the gears and without being a political prostitute. Go for it.
(I'm sure you know that) unlike petit juries (in criminal trials-civil juries also decide cases with simple majorities) grand juries work on majority votes to return "true bills" or "bills of ignoramus".
If you give the correct answers and are seated you'll soon see that the foreman (a local jeweler, Mr. Goldstein) is a state worshiping shill who has "delivered the merch" before and was placed on the jury (again) and in the chair (possibly again) to bring in true bills on everything. "He's guilty or he wouldn't be here!", a federal grand juror in Philly once told a friend of mine. This suggests a belief in the infallibility of the system, but the very existence of citizen juries is proof that the founders believed that this thinking was bull deux deux.
If you choose to oppose an indictment make sure you aren't alone. (unless after you've established your creds as fair and knowledgeable you feel confident that you can roll a few others)
Once typecast as "anti govt" none of the others will vote with you again. In fact, if you let someone else raise objections first then make compelling arguments you'll stay under wraps longer.
There may be many indictments in which the jury is split, and that's fine. Just make sure that you aren't alone in dissenting on any one case. (And if asked you've never even heard of the FIJA)
A silly as it is some cowardly people actually worry about retaliation if they swim upstream and frustrate the crooked lawyers and judges. And, they'll view a rogue juror as a Judas goat leading them to "slaughter" (i.e. tax audits, being followed by police, etc.,.)
Be very deferential to the state. It's fine to say, "I believe that the officer is lying." But, don't say, "Cops perjure themselves every day!" It's absolutely true but it's also "sacrilegious".
If you choose to "go for broke" to protect an innocent victim from malicious prosecution and you have to fight the foreman, you can say that he is there to serve the state and you are there to serve the constitution. You may also ask if he's the foreman now because he brought in true bills on everything in the past, and imply that he (or she) may be too cowardly to disappoint a prosecutor and the judge who appointed her or him.
If hanging a trial jury and asked why I was the lone holdout I'd say that "I believe that the Pastor (or university president or whoever the state featured as their most credible witness) is lying!"
It's a riot when some lowly juror sabotages a carefully choreographed kangaroo trial by implying that some sainted establishment hack is lying. When a conviction is denied them they huff and they puff and they are just oh so outraged at the mere suggestion that their saint is a human being with an agenda. ("IS THIS AMERICA? HOW CAN ANYONE NOT BELIEVE THE BISHOP OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST METHODIST CONVENTION AND YACHT CLUB?????")
One must be careful not to get disqualified with a statement such as, "all prosecution witnesses are coached" or an alternate will be seated and convict, or my name isn't HOUNDDAWG Q. SCHWARTZ.
Be very deferential to the state. It's fine to say, "I believe that the officer is lying." But, don't say, "Cops perjure themselves every day!" It's absolutely true but it's also "sacrilegious".
Funny.
I'd forgotten the last petit jury selection that dismissed me.
One of the lawyers asked this herd of people if we thought that cops would lie on the stand.
Finally, I raised my hand, was recognized, and asked, Can you say Mark Furman?
After the courtroom was finally gaveled to order, I was told that I was excused, and my $6.00 check for service would be in the mail.
I'd forgotten the last petit jury selection that dismissed me.
One of the lawyers asked this herd of people if we thought that cops would lie on the stand.
Finally, I raised my hand, was recognized, and asked, Can you say Mark Furman?
After the courtroom was finally gaveled to order, I was told that I was excused, and my $6.00 check for service would be in the mail.
That was my last jury summons.
HAH!
You know the old axiom:
"Who serves on jury duty? 12 people who are too stupid to get out of jury duty."
This is supposed to sound like a bitter complaint but in fact lawyers want stoopids on juries for the very reason you underscored-smart people/experienced jurors often know when the system is manipulated by the attorneys, and stoopids will respond to the judge's command presence and the favored attorney's charisma.
Those who are anxious to serve are also struck with preemptive challenges. (You can't volunteer for jury duty-some would be full time if allowed just to get paid, and they'd convict every time just to keep coming back) They know their power and aren't afraid to use it especially if they have axes to grind.
Should I serve on the Travis County grand jury? Thanks for your thoughts and comments.
yes
"With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators." James Madison, Letter to James Robertson, April 20, 1831
If called I think you should serve. You might prevent the government from screwing someone for smoking a joint or jaywalking or some other heinous crime.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Lord Acton
He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
I served on a jury one time--actually a couple of times on two very different types of cases. I hung the jury on the first one and voted (along with everyone else and in short order) to convict the second one. Second one was a dummy and a pedophile. Molested his own stepdaughter and admitted it to the deputy sheriff who arrested him. And it wasn't a he said/he said kind of thing either, it was on video after the deputy had (also on video) advised him of his rights. Then, for whatever reason, the numbskull decided to plead not guilty. But he convicted himself with the words out of his own mouth. In the first case, the one that I hung, the state never brought forth any injured party or showed any property damage. No crime, no conviction. And I never took that oath they ask you to take either. At the time I served when all the other jurors were reciting the unconstitutional and unbiblical oath like a bunch of sheep I stood there mute and never took the oath. No one raised any objections to me not mouthing the words and I was seated just like everyone else.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Lord Acton
He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
