So I reported for jury duty despite the fact that my skin was crawling just being at the courthouse. I wasn't skipping around with joy, but I did it. Mostly I did it so that I could tell the judge what I thought about the current state of jury duty. The Constitution is fresh in my mind in that in just the past two months Obama signed into law a horrible law that allows the US government to arrest US citizens without a warrant and to hold them indefinitely with no trial. On top of this, Obama also made a "recess appointment" of Richard Cordray as the head of a newly created position, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, except the Senate IS in session. So what has happened to our Constitution?
Anyway, I showed up for "jury duty" and passed through the metal detector, removed my laptop, iPad, etc., even though there was no search warrant. THIS is what the Fourth Amendment looks like -
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Our Constitutional rights are abuses so frequently that we don't even seem to notice much anymore. I do, but when I mention it people seem to get annoyed. This makes me think of an old saying - "To the fool all things come quickly." So, when you have no rights because gradualism slowly destroyed them, what will you do then?
I disarmed myself so that I wouldn't be arrested by the rent-a-cop at the metal detector. This is what the Second Amendment looks like -
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Instead of being able to earn the normal amount of money I do on a daily basis I was reduced to earning nothing on the first day, and if I were to "serve" for a longer term, I would by paid about a quarter of what a 16 year old Burger King employee makes! I didn't volunteer for this! This is what the Thirteenth Amendment looks like -
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
Again... I have committed no crime, in fact I do my best to stay OUT of trouble. Yet my income can be completely stopped by jury duty. I am forced to disarm. I am forced to swear an oath which is STRONGLY condemned in the Bible. My speech is compelled which is prevented by numerous Supreme Court cases.
I had a break in last year for which, after the insurance coverage I was out of pocket about $600. Yesterday, during jury duty, because I was prevented from working, I'm out about $1,000! IF the police did actually catch the burglar that broke into my business, which they didn't, I would lose twice as much money in court day after day testifying against the burglar. If the burglar broke into YOUR business and I was called as a juror, I would lose twice as much money as you did siting on a jury day after day! Certainly the framers of our constitution had NOTHING close to this situation in mind when they made it a requirement to have jury trials!!
It didn't always used to be like this. When jury duty was first instituted in the United States each juror was paid "a workman's wage". Today, that would be a couple hundred bucks! Judges & attorney salaries are through the roof but jurors are only paid $25 per day, BEFORE parking? This is wrong!
I've explained this to THREE different judges who have all had their own version of "It's not MY problem." Well, it should damn well BE your problem because YOU are the one that benefits from my free labor!"Judges and prosecutors and attorney's incomes have shot through the ceiling while the regular working stiff must pay. The criminals certainly aren't!
"But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." Frederic Bastiat, The Law
Several people have tried to explain to me that the Supreme Court has found that jury duty is constitutional. Of course they did! I have this to say in response - "Corn can't expect justice from a court composed of chickens." (from an African Proverb) If you have two parties in a dispute, a third party, a disinterested party, should decide the outcome. By having one of the parties of the dispute determine the outcome of the dispute is the epitome of dishonesty! In fact, the degree of dishonesty of the entire jury process is what upsets me the most!
Here are some interesting quotes that I found regarding jury duty -
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer. Robert Frost
This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Justice is open to everyone in the same way as the Ritz Hotel.
Judge Sturgess
The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try.
William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
Lysander Spooner, Trial by Jury
If the jury have no right to judge of the justice of a law of the government, they plainly can do nothing to protect the people against the oppressions of the government; for there are no oppressions which the government may not authorize by law.
Beyond and above the logic (or the lack thereof) and beyond and above the law (or the lack thereof), there is the issue of my faith. Christians are told to judge those INSIDE the Church to the degree that it can be determined if they are a true believer or a false believer, and if false, they are to be expelled from the congregation. The following is from my statement to the judge regarding jury duty -
"As a Christian I am called to be honest. Not partially honest, or honest when it is convenient, but honest as an ongoing lifestyle. This very concept is done away with when reporting for jury duty from being searched without a warrant, being disarmed in violation of the 2nd amendment, to compelled speech and being forced to swear an oath or “affirming” that I will tell the truth. I tell the truth all the time, period. This takes a lot of effort and constant vigilance already even without the additional pressure from the state to be dishonest by participating in jury duty! Sin is not the same for everyone, it is based on what you believe in your own heart. For me, jury duty is sin.
James 4:17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
I will be asked by the prosecutor if I can withhold judgement until I hear “all of the evidence” when he and I both know that a murder case from 2006 was dismissed just last month here in Anchorage BECAUSE a jury heard “all of the evidence” when according to current law, they should have not heard evidence of prior convictions for drunk driving. Because I will never hear “all of the evidence” but rather just one part from the prosecutor and another part from the defense and these two parts will be further constrained by the judge, and NONE of this evidence is in accordance with the Bible’s teaching, I would be forced to make a decision about another human being with only some of the evidence, guessing as it were, in the dark. I am not called to be in the dark but rather called to be in the light, and not to judge those outside the Church. I would be compelled as a juror to witness things that I actively avoid on a daily basis as a Christian. In fact, there is no part of jury duty that is compatible with my faith as a Christian."
James 4:4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
As a citizen of the United States I have a 1st Amendment, Constitutional right to practice my religion without interference from the government. The government violates this right by forcing me to sin according to my personal religious beliefs, by participating in jury duty. There is NO directive in the Bible that I am aware of telling any believer to be in court for any reason. The Bible instead teaches the exact opposite. The word the Bible uses to describe secular courts in 1 Corinthians 6:1 is “adikos” which has been translated into English as “unjust”, “unrighteous”, “sinful” and “ungodly”, and warns believers that the nature of secular courts is to deal with believers in an unjust manner, fraudulently and deceitfully. Believers are taught to avoid being in court if at all possible.The word used in 1 Corinthians 6:1 is ἄδικος adikos (ah’-dee-kaus)
a) descriptive of one who violates or has violated justice
b) unjust
- unrighteous, sinful
d) of one who deals fraudulently with others, deceitful
The Bible teaches Christians not to judge non-Christians or unbelievers which makes me completely unsuitable as a juror in a secular court. Believers are to judge other believers within the Church to the extent of discovering whether they are true believers or not. If found to be true, we are to embrace them as fellow believers, if not, they are to be expelled from the Church. Believers are not to judge non-believers.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.Those I judge have presented themselves to me as believers. We are told to be separate from the world, to be IN the world but not OF the world. We are told that at some future date, at The Judgement, believers will judge the world, even angels, but not in this lifetime. The Bible also states that believers should not take believers to court. The Bible instead teaches that believers should suffer being wronged and should suffer being defrauded rather than to take another believer to court.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”[d
1 Corinthians 6
1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous rinstead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that sthe saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, twhy do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 uI say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. vWhy not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even wyour own brothers!1
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous2 will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: xneither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,3 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And ysuch were some of you. But zyou were washed, ayou were sanctified, byou were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Luke 12:58
As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
Matthew 5:25
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Even Jesus refused to get entangled in a legal dispute when asked about an inheritance.
Luke 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Corinthians 6:15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, “Come out from them and be separate, 17 Therefore, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”[d] and they will be my people.”[c]Beyond being told not to judge unbelievers, I am also forbidden to swear an oath, to affirm, or to say anything more than a simple yes or no. I do this as part of my everyday life and I speak the truth to everyone I meet in every circumstance to the best of my ability. The Bible also states that anything beyond a simple yes or no “comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:33-37 - 33“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
James 5:12 says this even more clearly - James 5:12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Clearly “above all” means above a court, above a ruler, above a government, quite simply above all, I am not to say anything more than a yes or a no and that’s the end of it. So, according to the Bible, when the state forces me to swear they are forcing me to sin, which is another violation of my 1st Amendment rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Forcing me to make a statement that I clearly do no wish to, that I don’t believe in, is “compelled speech” which the Supreme Court has ruled on in 1941, 1943 , 1977, 1980 and 2006.
By participating in jury duty I am forced to be dishonest to my spiritual nature, to violate my own conscience and to disregard my faith which I am unwilling to do."
Matthew 10:28 says - “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
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