Monday, November 17, 2008

We, The People

As you may know, last week I had the intriguing opportunity to perform everyone's most inconvenient civil responsibility - jury duty. In the end, 3 of the 4 panels into which we summoned citizens were segmented, got called to court at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, the culmination of a week of sitting and waiting in the lounge. Amazingly, mine was the unchosen panel that got released shortly after. In brief: I am liberated from the call for 3 years more and I will not have to return to act on a jury next week.

This is useful from the perspective of living my life and performing my job.

Alas, I didn't have that Law & Order moment I have secretly imagined lo these many years.

How does this relate to Art & Design Theme Week?

Well, here's a photo of a rather interesting sculpture in front of the court house steps. I like the way 12 jurors make up the pillars (get it?) of the structure. (You'd think, given how important this function is, the court might have supplied us with a free coffee in the morning...)

Anyway, I got these shots while waiting on the daily 10 minute line up to go through security (you know, like at the airport):




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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 17, 2008 at 11:20 AM

    I love how it's both literal AND elegant.

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  2. La Belette RougeNovember 17, 2008 at 1:41 PM

    I do think it is a great metaphor---justice and institutions are indeed made up of people and not nameless and faceless folks. Really great piece. Do we know who made it?

    And, I think it breaks the Geneva convention to not provide good quality coffee to jurors. Well, if it doesn't it should.;-)

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  3. ElizabethNovember 17, 2008 at 2:29 PM

    That's a clever design.

    Lack of coffee? Not too clever.

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  4. AnonymousNovember 17, 2008 at 4:29 PM

    I visited my local courthouses (main, appeals, municipal) with my class a couple of weeks ago. And we were all amazed that there was no metal detector for the main courthouse with all the criminals that pass through there, and yet there was a detector at the appeals court which gets less action.

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  5. JenNovember 17, 2008 at 6:16 PM

    Ah Jury duty - i was called to do it when i turned 18 but got out of it because I was leaving the city. So thats my dury duty story - not very interesting!!

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  6. WendyBNovember 17, 2008 at 6:37 PM

    I don't care what I have to say to get out of jury duty in the future -- I was on a SIX WEEK TRIAL back in 1996 and it was the worst experience! Never again. Let them pick someone who hasn't done that.

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  7. Imogen Lamport, AICI CIPNovember 17, 2008 at 6:40 PM

    Last time I was asked to do jury duty I was pregnant and about to give birth - so that got me off the hook.

    My dependent children will keep me off the hook for some years too I believe!

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  8. SeekerNovember 17, 2008 at 7:47 PM

    Love that sculptur!!! So meaning.

    Thanks for sharing.

    xoxo

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  9. Couture CarrieNovember 18, 2008 at 8:24 AM

    Answering the call . . . Good girl! I love Law & Order but sadly the real legal system is hardly ever so juicy!
    Great pics, too :)

    xoxox,
    CC

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  10. K.LineNovember 18, 2008 at 4:18 PM

    Sal: It's nice when that happens, non?

    Belette: I don't. I will try to find out. And good coffee is part of the Geneva Convention. I checked.

    E: Don't get me started on the coffee sit. No payment for the first 11 days (unless your employer kicks up) AND no warm beverages following standing in the cold for 10 minutes waiting to be searched like a criminal before they'll let you in to do your civic responsibility!!!

    Raven: I am very surprised by that.

    Jen: Good getting out!

    Wendy: Why am I not surprised that you would have such an outrageous tale! Was it high profile? Can you discuss it? You have so done your part for the next 2 decades!

    Imogen: Here, they don't let you off for kids - they expect you to find an alternate arrangement!

    Thanks Seeker.

    Thank you CC - it's never as good as TV!

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  11. SongyNovember 19, 2008 at 1:56 AM

    Glad that know that you're now off the hook. That's very cute. No coffee?! what kinda govt is that?

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