The old iPod is on shuffle and Bob Marley is playing quietly in the background over the speakers. My coffee is hot and steamy in my Chicago Cubs mug. I drink it black. I deviated from the norm and ate an apple danish with a cup of milk for breakfast instead of oatmeal or cereal. My blood sugar tested good this morning. That has not been true most morning for the past few weeks.
The air outside is crisp and cool, a mere 37 F. The sky is cloudy. To the best of my knowledge there are no antelopes playing in the yard. The music has switched to Stranglehold.
We do not have much on tap for today. I think we might meet up with some friends to play some Euchre. Maybe I will drink a beer. Perhaps not. If the day warms up a bit, my buddy and i might herf a cigar. Maybe not. I like it when my life is uncomplicated.
I have been called for jury duty Monday. I have to check in Sunday evening to see if the litigants have reached a settlement. I have been to this rodeo before. I have been part of the jury pool at least a dozen times. I have had to go sit to be chosen a couple of times. I served on a petit jury in a drug case. The dude was growing pot in his garage. Lots of pot. I also served on a Federal Grand Jury. for 18 months. We met three to four days at a time, every other week. Although after the first six months it slowed to about three days a month. My employer was not pleased. Grand Juries are a strange thing. You only decide if there is enough evidence to charge the person with a crime. Often the accused does not get to testify. There are no defense witnesses. A judge can compel a witness to testify. hearsay is allowed. The State presents its case and you decide. It does not have to be unanimous. We heard dozens of cases and needless to say, with the deck stacked the decisions were easy.
We all have to do our part. I feel I have served my time. But I will do what I have to do. Passing judgement on another human is harder than you think, even when they are clearly guilty. It is a heavy burden to send a man to prison. Sometimes, like this morning, I still see the pictures of those pot plants growing in the garage next to a pink bike with training wheels, tassels in the handlebars. A plastic Big Wheel sat nearby. Oh, I know the old adage, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime". Still, I sometimes wonder what became of those two kids with their daddy in prison.
Sinatra is crooning now, I guess he is bringing out my soft side.
I have put myself into a somber mood. My coffee cup needs refilled. Have a great Saturday.
5 comments:
Kinda makes you think...is the legal way the right way? Just because 'it's' illegal is really wrong? I've been on both ends of that plank. Itsabitch...
We need to legalize marijuana for lots of reasons.
Yeah, then we can advertise it!
We can get movie stars to promote it' use!
And create jobs growing it and selling it!
And we can have more stoned people driving around because although you can detect it's presence, you can't accurately detect levels of intoxication.
I spent a lot of my youth tied to that drug.
Wasted in more ways than one.
Decriminalize maybe.
That guy was dealing and growing, not using.
I feel sorry for his kids.
I sat on a jury once. A couple were setting up fender benders then going to a doctor in cahoots with them who supported their trumped-up injuries. We had no trouble slamming their scamming.
You visited my blog several years ago. I just found your comment hunting for something. Sorry I've missed you all this time.
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