Anyway, I made it to round 3 of the jury selection process, and the fact is that I really hope I can be on this jury. I've never been on a jury before, and my idealistic ideas about it may simply mean that I'm young and foolish and have much to learn about the glorious virgin Justice.

Funny thing, though, and I think I can say this without compromising any vow of secrecy I may have signed -- funny thing is what happened on Wednesday, when I went in for the preliminary screening. They showed us a video, narrated by the Chief Justice of New York and summarizing the jury system and what is expected of jurors, and when the narrator made references to Justice being the highest of ideals, and the final answer for all people, and when the narrator waxed grandiose about how we had the world's greatest system of justice, people were scoffing and laughing. This guy behind me was just beside himself, and there were open chortles of disbelief from the gathered people.

So today, as many of us sat through phase 2 of the screening, I did manage to establish conversations with a few people, and I also overheard others talking, and it was nothing but complaints about the jury system. Even folks who seemed to have a more positive outlook about the whole thing mocked the idea that the jurors are the most respected and valuable parties involved in a criminal case. And I have to agree, I've never gotten the impression from any legal proceeding I've observed that the jurors are treated any better than horseshit on the pasture. And the whole business of sitting there all day to wait for the judge and the attorneys to summon you, I mean isn't there a way they could do this over the phone?

Anyway, I don't have any particular feelings about sitting there all day, but I know that many other were complaining, and very loudly, and their own indolence was probably contagious. *