and I care because why?

So right before I left on my business trip to Orlando a few weeks ago, I got an official looking letter in the email that had "Jury Duty Summons" stamped across the front of it. Now, maybe I've been really lucky, but this is the first time I've ever been called for jury duty, and I've never really had an interest or desire to be a part of this judicial process.

I'm sure I brought this particular summons upon myself considering I'd just had a conversation with my sister just a few weeks earlier about how I've never had to do jury duty. My own damn fault for opening my big mouth.

So as I was flying out of the office to head out to Orlando a few weeks ago, I ripped off the return to sender part of the summons that allows you to make a plea for compassion to get out of your set dates. (Now mind you, I only had 5 days from the receipt of the summons to provide a excused absence reason to them -- not sure if I made it since I don't really check my mail box every day.)

Normally I'd probably not be so resistent to going, albeit I'd be very annoyed that my time is likely going to be wasted sitting in some overcrowded foyer while they call out for potential juror #43, as I look at #256 sitting in my hand. (Not sure if that's how it really works, but that's the image in my mind at least.)

But then I saw the dates for jury duty -- Aug 8-11. Hmmm, yeah, not going to work for me. My sister is coming into town on the 11th and civic duty or not, I'm going to be on vacation that day.

So I wrote some pithy excuse to the effect that I would be on vacation, and then I've been anxiously awaiting my reprieve for not having to show up. Well, no such luck. I haven't received a thing from the district court offering me an excused absence. So now I am stuck with my internal struggle -- do I just not show up at all (and accept what ever the consequences might be) or do I show up for the first day hoping that I am done by the 11th?

Frankly, I was leaning toward option 1 (not showing up at all) until I had dinner with a friend and her husband. He recently graduated from law school, so I thought I'd throw out my dilemma to him for some advice.

After I got passed the..."as Americans it's your moral obligation and duty to participate in our judicial system" and then he said to me that it's essentially a criminal offense to not show up. What??!! Are you serious??

I thought the beauty of living in the U.S. was that my freedom extended only as far as where someone else's freedom begins. So where along the lines did spending four days in some boring courthouse get added to the mix of my personal freedoms?

The funny thing is that I have been lamenting to anyone who will listen about this stupid jury summons. And on occassion I hear, "Gee, I wish I'd been called to jury duty. That sounds like fun." Oh yeah? Trade ya.

So after hearing the blah blah blah it's a criminal offense, I of course will lose sleep over it if I don't show up on Tuesday. So I'll be there on Tuesday, but I better not still be there on Friday.

So I'm now wearing my red, white and blue, and waving my pocket-sized stars and stripes, and practicing my lines now. Gosh, I just don't think I could be impartial to that, sir.