Civic obligations and such

Today, I escaped from jury duty. It all ended when we were given the opportunity one last time (around 2pm) to suggest to the judge reasons why the hell we simply aren't fit to serve. I was fine up until the part where they had everyone wait and wait and wait around. And to what purpose? So I wrote down a piece of my mind regarding the physical and emotional state I am in at present, and it worked like magic. I was out of that courthouse at 2:30pm, woo yeah. If it had been a straight shot from the get-go, I would've happily served as a juror. But with all the shifting around and public excuses people were having to make in order to relinquish themselves of duty, I rapidly became discouraged.

This was my first time ever participating. So, naturally I was curious and excited about the process. Coming from a family with both parents having emigrated over here I was raised to be grateful about the liberties the USA does provide that sometimes can be taken for granted. Also, there was a judge who spoke to us before we were assigned to panels, and his words were very inspiring. He reminded us that it is the only mandated government obligation we have as citizens.

On my extended lunch break, I took a walk past City Hall where OCCUPY LA was still holding strong despite windy weather and rain. Here are glimpses of what I saw:

It got me to thinking that our government could be doing so much more for how much freedom it loves to boast about. Might begin by tackling a few rights that should be fundamental for every human, such as good healthcare and sound education. And how about at least supplementing the cost it takes each summoned individual to make the trip to jury duty? After my stroll through an integral part of our Downtown area, I returned to the courthouse in a flurry, ready to stick with participating as a 'qualifying' juror, despite my reservations. 


Good fortune, however, was on my side. The judge allowed us one last chance to relieve ourselves, so I went ahead and followed through with my intuition. I wrote an honest explanation of how I am 35 weeks pregnant; already made doctor's appointments for the following week; in case of emergency, our hospital is on the other side of town; and, due to my hormonal changes, I would be very emotional and probably biased, given the nature of the case presented to us all by the animated lawyers on both sides of the family dispute. I am very glad and grateful to have such a tiny yet meaningful freedom granted this time around.