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Other Topics => Off Topic Discussion => Topic started by: Dennis on December 16, 2006, 01:11:03 AM



Title: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Dennis on December 16, 2006, 01:11:03 AM
I received a notice for jury duty about 10 months ago, I've served on juries before and it has always been interesting, I also consider it to be a privilege and a civic duty, it is not something I would try to get out of just because it's inconvenient. About a year ago I developed a medical condition that would not allow me to serve on a jury, when I was first notified I was and am under a doctors care, so I got 2 postponements to see if his treatment was effective, he told me it was a 50 50 type of thing, the upshot was that the treatment didn't take so he filled out the medical form and I mailed it to the juror service office. Two months later I was told that I would not be excused, when I called I was told to bring a letter from the doctor to the jury room to be excused for medical reasons. Now here is what has me PO'ed, got up at 5:00 am to get downtown before the rush hour traffic, had to park 5 blocks from the courthouse, they were late opening up the jury room, when I finally was allowed to present my letter, the one they told me to bring, I was given a slip of paper with directions to the County Hall of Records, told to go to juror services on the 15th floor, got there and had to fill out a form to get in to see a clerk, finally got in and she didn't even look at the letter they told me to bring, instead she gave me 2 forms to give to my doctor to fill out, one of these is the same form he filled out originally and on top of all this I missed a days work.
 Didn't mean to be so long, just needed to complain to someone, and now I feel better, so has this sort of thing happened to anyone else?


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: dean on December 16, 2006, 02:07:07 AM

That sucks...  Kinda like red tape and paperwork gone mad...

I'm not sure what the process is for us here, but I'm sure it's something equally ludicrous.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: RCMerchant on December 16, 2006, 04:28:01 AM
Being the insensitive lardass leeches that most buerucrats are,and they cannot understand your problem-tell them that your a Satan worshipping Nazi who believes all humans need to die so that the Master race can control the world in order to prepare it for the coming of the Xtros from Titan-led by by the great  Beast...so says the prophet Manson.  If anything it will get they"re attention.Or go to duty and cough uncontolably during the interview. Or just act real dumb...like Tor Johnson dumb.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Andrew on December 16, 2006, 09:15:20 AM
That pretty well stinks.  The problem is that, the longer they are in place, systems want to become more complex.  You eventually get this huge unwieldy monster that has broken links between all of its parts.

We had a problem like this with Toys for Tots one year.  While picking up toys from an office in New York, the Marines came back to the van (which had Toys for Tots magnetic panels on it) to find a ticket.  They had parked in a spot that said "Commercial Vehicles Only" and the Toys for Tots van was one (Enterprise rented them to us at cost).  Turned out that, in addition to being a commercial vehicle, it needed to have a meter system  in it too.  I tried sorting that out with the City of New York, including sending several letters and sending the Marine to the traffic court.  No deal, we had to pay the ticket - money I would rather have spent on some toys.  I think that it was around $100.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: ulthar on December 16, 2006, 09:25:58 AM
Is it just me, or does it seem EXTRA stupid to get on the wrong side of the US Marine Corps?

Beauracracies love "process."  They care less about results.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Dennis on December 16, 2006, 08:33:51 PM
Being the insensitive lardass leeches that most buerucrats are,and they cannot understand your problem-tell them that your a Satan worshipping Nazi who believes all humans need to die so that the Master race can control the world in order to prepare it for the coming of the Xtros from Titan-led by by the great  Beast...so says the prophet Manson.  If anything it will get they"re attention.Or go to duty and coond ticketugh uncontolably during the interview. Or just act real dumb...like Tor Johnson dumb.

RCMerchant I thank you for the sound advice, but I live in California so that probably wouldn't work, we have a lot of nuts here. .
With reference to tickets, we just bought a new jeep, didn't have a holder for the front license plate because the dealer was out of the mounting bracket so we said we would come back in a week and pick it up, got 2 fix-it tickets for no front license plate. when I got the license mounted I went to the police station, they charge $7.00 to inspect and sign off on the tickets, the fine for each ticket was $10.00, I figured it was easier just to pay the $20.00 than fight the second ticket so I wrote the city a check for that amount and mailed it with the signed off tickets to the city office. About 3 months later I got a notice in the mail stating that if I did not pay the $10.00 for the second ticket my car would be impounded, called the city and after about 10 minutes I finally got to the records dept. I was told that I had only sent 1 check for 1 ticket and no check for the other so although I had a $10.00 credit to my name I still had 1 unpaid ticket, did I want the city to mail me a check for the $10.00 or would I pick it up in person. When I asked her to apply the $10.00 to the second ticket she said she would but that in the future it would be better if I wrote 1 check per ticket. This is funny to me now but at the time I was so mad I was ready to start a revolution.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Andrew on December 16, 2006, 09:02:15 PM
I ran into a problem with Maryland's Dept of Motor Vehicles. My 1969 Camaro was registered in DE. After having the tag around 6 months I received notification from a collection agency in CA that parking fines were overdue for that tag. Considering the violation was over two years old and for a jeep (exactly - what the heck?) I sent them a letter that I had been issued my tag only 6 months before and owned an entirely different vehicle, providing a nice suggestion they find out who was issued the tag at the time it was ticketed.

So what do I get in response? A threatening form letter along with instructions to prove I was not the guilty party. My second letter had a copy of all the correspondence up to this point attached and was a single sheet of white paper with the following words: "You are morons."

Never heard from them again.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Yaddo 42 on December 17, 2006, 06:11:41 AM
When I interned in DC many moons ago, I got sent to the post office one day to get our postage meter recharged (refilled?). Off I was sent by a boss to the nearest branch, about a five minute walk, no biggie. So after wading through this huge maze of a place, I find the proper line, and wait and wait. Finally get to the front tell them what I need, the woman goes to check it, after many minutes of checking and a phone call or two it turns out I've been sent to the wrong branch, even though as she said it should be registered there since it's the closest.

She gives me directions to the right place, and off I go to the Metro. Two stops later I'm in a part of town I don't know well, checking streets and address numbers looking for another post office. I circle the block twice, nothing. I pass a nightclub I've heard iffy stuff about, and see what looks to be dried blood on the pavement, the place had been in the news for a shooting, IIRC. Finally see a postal uniform through a window of a store front with microscopic print on the window that says "U.S. Post Office" by the door, no drop box, post office emblems, or anything else outside that identifies it.  I go in, stand in another line and finally get this "short, simple" task done.

So post office BS, one of those "Family Circus-style Billy goes a wanderin'" journeys, combined with my boss's newest example of not knowing what she was talking about. This was the latest in an ongoing series of incidents. I had learned to dread any assignment from her.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Yaddo 42 on December 19, 2006, 06:12:56 AM
Wow, killed this thread deader than disco.

Guess I should have told about my only turn at jury duty.

I got struck from one jury pool since I was the youngest member of the pool (I was warned of this before hand). The only other time I was in a jury pool, when they were striking two juries at once for two DUI cases both with the same defense lawyer, I had to mention I knew one of the defendants (and remembered later that I knew lots of the details of his case from his perspective that would have definitely biased me), and was struck from both juries. We were released after the second day due to the rest of the docate being settled out of court or plea bargained.

Only one small bright spot, when we were giving our information at the beginning, a rather attractive middle aged woman sitting beside me began to play footsy with me as we waited to identify ourselves. Lots of smiles everytime I looked at her, sent my young mind reeling and my young heart racing. Then after they had number us all, they spilt us into two groups, odds stayed, even went to another room. My heart (among other things) sank. So the whole experience was an exercise in frustration and inaction.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: PSlugworth on December 20, 2006, 05:47:15 AM
This all reminds me of the scene in Brazil where Jill is trying to fill out a wrongful arrest report and keeps getting sent to different departments to get new paperwork and get her old paperwork stamped properly.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: BeyondTheGrave on December 20, 2006, 10:36:51 AM
I served on a my first Jury this summer. The Court House wasn't far it actually walking distance from my house. I still can't believed I was picked. I refused to wear any "Business attire" and came in my Punkest gear I had.( This did get me some dirty looks from Court Officers but its the friggn summer). Not only did I get picked I was Juror number 1.

It was B.S. Civil Case someone sueing over a injured leg in a car crash even though the evidense points that he had the injury prior to the crash and it wasn't even serious. Both cars pulled off after the accident. It was 6 mindnumbing days and than it was settled. Not needing the Jury. That sucks but atleast I had nothing to do over the summer.

Thinking back the Judge didn't give a damn about what I was wearing either. I wore my Circle Jerks Group Sex T-shirt and I could swore she smiled at it.



Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: odinn7 on December 20, 2006, 03:46:33 PM
Years ago I was selected to appear for Jury Duty and the company I worked for would not pay. I wore my "Kill 'Em All...Let God Sort 'Em Out" shirt and went along to sit there. I had decided that if I didn't get out of it easy and had to go to the actual questioning part of selection, I was going to clearly state that no matter what the guy did, he was guilty in my mind. Well...early they asked if anyone had a reason that they couldn't serve. I raised my hand, he looked at me and told me I could leave.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: BeyondTheGrave on December 20, 2006, 04:03:30 PM
Years ago I was selected to appear for Jury Duty and the company I worked for would not pay. I wore my "Kill 'Em All...Let God Sort 'Em Out" shirt and went along to sit there. I had decided that if I didn't get out of it easy and had to go to the actual questioning part of selection, I was going to clearly state that no matter what the guy did, he was guilty in my mind. Well...early they asked if anyone had a reason that they couldn't serve. I raised my hand, he looked at me and told me I could leave.

I wish it was still like that. Now they drill you with questions to see if your telling the truth. When I was in jury selection room they were just downright mean to some people. One guy was a taxi driver and didn't speak english well. The lawyers just start laying him out. "How could you be in this country for 20 years and not speak english well"? "How can you be a taxi driver and not speak english how do communcate with the passager" Just interrogating him for 10 mintues. He wasn't trying to B.S. or anything. He was legit.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on December 21, 2006, 03:04:46 PM
Well, let me tell you about my jury experiences. I've lived in the same city, come January, for 27 years, and it seems like I get called up for jury duty every four years, which makes it six times so far.

First time, never left the jury room. I was going to be one of the last ones called, when everybody who was left, was told to go home, as they called up to many potential jurors for the cases for that day.

Second time, made it as far as the courtroom, but not on to the jury, which was for a DWI case, but the defendant was facing some serious time, as he had already been sent down twice, once for stealing a cow, and we have a "Three Strikes and You're Out Law," in the state in which I live.

Third time, got as far as the hallway outside the courtroom, but before we could be called into the courtroom for questioning, the defendant settled. Never found out what she was being charged with, but I think it was for passing bad checks.

Fourth time, was for a spousal abuse case. Never made it onto the jury, as I admitted I came from a home that featured spousal abuse.

These were all criminal matters. The fifth time was a civil case. A man got rearended on the freeway and was suing the person who hit him. Never made it on to this jury neither. Maybe because I recognized the plaintiff in the case. Didn't know him personally, but as I use to live near the university, where he taught, I said I might have seen him around the campus.

These were all cases at the county level. We also have a city court system for minor offenses, my sixth--and so far  last--jury duty was for this court. But everybody that was up for trial that day, opted out of a jury trial and settled with a plea bargain,  so we weren't needed that day neither.

I think I'm due for another jury summons, sometime next year or the year after.


Title: Re: Jury duty and bureaucracy
Post by: Unknown on December 26, 2006, 07:57:37 AM
I went to jury selection back in college. It was for an unnecessary use of force charge against a police officer, apparently he decided to give a little "Stick Time" to a motorist he pulled over for speeding.

I walked up, pool one, juror one, and I heard the accused whisper to his lawyer "I don't want any kids or old people on the jury". I was asked to leave, went back to the pool, didn't get rechosen and left.

I read in the paper 3 days later that the cop was found guilty.