Right Thinking From The Left Coast
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it - Henry David Thoreau

Juror #6
by Lee

Well, I’m on the jury.  Obviously I can’t discuss anything about the case, except to say that they figure it will be over by Thursday or Friday. 

I’ll tell you one thing, though.  As part of voir dire everyone had to give a basic personal history, including your name, where you live, your marital status, the occupation of you and your spouse, your children, and any occupation your children may have.  In the room were a number of immigrants—like any major city, LA is full of foreigners—and a number of minorities (blacks and Hispanics) who were probably not that well to do.  Most of these immigrants were from third world nations, Africa and Asia and the Middle East, but they were all citizens. 

When they listed their jobs the immigrants listed the usual litany of immigrant-level work.  They were security guards or worked in catering at a hotel or did janitorial work, mostly unskilled labor, or had started as unskilled labor and moved into supervisory positions as they got experience.  Most of them were older than me, with grown children.  Almost without exception their kids were substantially better off than their parents, listing jobs like doctors or lawyers or nurses or graphic artists or software engineers, all highly-paid, educated, skilled labor.  A couple of them mentioned that their kids were enrolled in PhD programs.  And I thought, ‘What a great country America is.”

This is the American dream.  You’re not going to come to this country with no skills or education and make a million dollars (though that does occasionally happen).  The American dream is that you can come to this country with nothing and within one generation your kids can be solidly in the middle class.  There are very few societies where this is likely, or even possible.  In much of Europe this isn’t the case, immigrants end up ghettoized and isolated from mainstream society.  But not in America.

What a fantastic statement on what this country has to offer the world.

Posted by Lee on 03/19/07 at 03:20 PM (Discuss this in the forums)

Comments


Posted by on 03/19/07 at 04:38 PM from United States

Yup, and that is why the middle class and all of its inherent values is constantly under attack by the socialist types,

Posted by Manwhore on 03/19/07 at 05:19 PM from United States

Lee did you get laid before you wrote this post? The general demeanore is all warm and fuzzy.

i’m thinkin’ you took the extra time that jury duty afforded you and rolled to Hooters.

Posted by on 03/19/07 at 05:23 PM from United States

Wait - they didn’t dismiss you for being a no-good liberal defeatist christ-puncher?

Posted by HARLEY on 03/19/07 at 05:28 PM from United States

Wait - they didn’t dismiss you for being a no-good liberal defeatist christ-puncher?

ITS LA!, that be a reason to keep him....
Speaking of Hooters… i wonder how long it will take for a Member of the RoP to bomb this place?

Posted by on 03/19/07 at 05:42 PM from Canada

What a fantastic statement on what this country has to offer the world.

Got to agree, it happens elsewhere though as well. My best friend from uni’s parents came over from India to England, the father came on his own to earn enough money for his wife to come over later. He worked at ford, on the factory line I believe, his whole life but he still dosen’t really speak any English. His son then went to Oxford and now is a lawyer earning a fortune at White & Case.

Posted by Brian at Tomfoolery on 03/19/07 at 09:34 PM from United States

Lee, if it is not too late, I urge you to avoid saying a word to your girlfriend or anyone else about the case.  I sat on a jury for 3 weeks 9 years ago.  I talked to no one.  Yet, when I talked about ie afterward, everyone thought I should have convicted the guy.  I don’t care if it is civil or criminal.  Stay silent until the verdict.

Posted by Lee on 03/19/07 at 09:38 PM from United States

Lee, if it is not too late, I urge you to avoid saying a word to your girlfriend or anyone else about the case.  I sat on a jury for 3 weeks 9 years ago.  I talked to no one.  Yet, when I talked about ie afterward, everyone thought I should have convicted the guy.  I don’t care if it is civil or criminal.  Stay silent until the verdict.

I’m following the judge’s instructions. He said we couldn’t reveal anything about the case other than how long it was going to be.  Other than that, all I said was that I was supposed to be part of the Specter jury pool and I declined.  I’m definitely planning on following the judge’s instructions to the letter.

Posted by Brian at Tomfoolery on 03/20/07 at 11:48 AM from United States

Good my friend....glad to hear it.  You’ll be much better off for it.

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