Jury Duty

I haven't done this blog thing in a while.  My online presence has been pretty muted since I got the old lady knocked up.  I did have the opportunity to serve on a jury a few weeks ago.  It's my second time.  I never know why they pick me.  I guess it's because I answer clearly and succinctly.  Yes, your honor.  No, your honor.  I don't whine about hardships like a lot of the other jurors.

It's absolutely excruciating for me to listen to the other twits in the jury box when we are getting picked.  There is always one or two people who cannot seem to answer the judge's questions.  Judge: do you think you can be fair in this case?  Potential Juror:  Uhhhhh......I'm not, Uhhhhh.....I don't...Ummm.  And this crap goes on for ten minutes while this twit explains her entire life.  A simple yes or no will do lady.

Finally, the dolts are gone, and the creme has risen to the top.  I am in the jury box.  It's a burglary case, and after all is said and done, we let the guy go.  He was a third striker, so he would have gone away forever.  We weren't allowed to consider punishment when making our decision.  We considered the two points: 1. Did the defendant break into the private residence? (YES), 2. Did the defendant intend to deprive the victim of property (NO).

Hence, mister homeless junky goes free.  I don't know how free one can be with two strikes against him.  There were two people in jury box who could not get their brains around the two parts to the charge.  We were willing to explain, though.  After 30 minutes, we decided not guilty and we were done before lunch.  Civic duty done.  I recommend the experience.

6:34 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Isaiah Washington is an Asshole

Isaiah Washington is an asshole.  Google his name and you'll see what I mean.  He was one of the actors for Grey's Anatomy, a show I have never watched.  He was fired recently because he's black.  At least that's what he'd have us believe.  He was really fired because he said the word faggot. Twice.

Now Mr. Washington can run up and down the street yelling faggot all day for all I care.  That word doesn't offend me.  There is only one word that offends me: entitlement.  Mr. Washington feels that we are all afraid of his blackness, and that's why he was fired.  He also feels that because he is black that he is entitled to a second chance.  Don Imus anyone?  Did Mr. Washington stand up and defend Don Imus when he referred to the Women's Rutgers Basketball team as "nappy headed-hos"?  If he did, I certainly didn't hear about it.  Surely, Imus deserved a second chance.

Let's run down the list of Mr. Washington's statements:

1. "Someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me."
2. "My mistake was believing that I would get the support from my network and all of my cast mates across the board. My mistake was believing I could correct a wrong with honesty and sincerity."
3. "My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. I was wrong on all fronts."
4. "Well, it didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. I didn't speak like I'd just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime."
5. "I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I'm a 6-foot-1, black man with dark skin and who doesn't go around saying 'Yessah, massa sir' and 'No sir, massa' to everyone? It's nuts when your presence alone can just scare people, and that made me a prime candidate to take the heat in a dysfunctional family.''

My rebuttal to said statements:

1. Dude, are you a total moron?  You sound like a caricature.
2. Dude, you're just lucky you're not white, because Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the New Black Panther Party would be crawling up your ass like you were Duke Lacrosse players.
3. Imus didn't get a second chance.  What makes you so special?  Shit didn't go your way?  Bum deal.  It doesn't give you the right to play the race card.
4. Nice!   Use loaded words like plantation and negro to evoke all those images of slavery which are so vivid in everyone's minds.  Is that the best you've got?
5. You fucked up pal.  Take your punishment like a man.  No one is afraid of you.  Stop walking around like the world owes you a living.  Stop walking around blaming all the bad crap happening to you being perpetrated by white racists.  Maybe you and Vivica A. Fox should have kids.  What a pair you two crazy kids would make.  If you had a kid you could name him Chicken Little.

Mr. Washington feels entitled to something.  He feels he has been deprived of that something based solely on the color of his skin.  This is why I believe Isaiah Washington is an asshole.  He may be a great actor.  I have seen his credit list, and it is very long.  Don Imus has been in radio for many years, and he made a statement about black women and he was fired for it.  Imus apologized and tried to make amends.  That did not satisfy Jackson, Sharpton, and the rest of the race mafia.  Mr. Washington feels he should be treated differently. 

Perhaps he feels that this society owes him something because his ancestors were slaves?  I don't know that they were, but that seems to be the imagery he is evoking.   People have claimed to be afraid of me before, and I didn't go looking for reparations.  I fully expect the Washington v. ABC lawsuit.  I wonder if Isaiah Washington would be as forgiving if Patrick Dempsey had called him a special name.

It's a free country, and Mr. Washington can say what he wants.  I still think he's an asshole.  I don't think he should have been fired for what he said.  Imus should not have been fired either.  It is nice to see equality in action, though.

5:02 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment