Well I came real close to sitting on a jury, and the minute I sat in that box, I panicked. the thought of being responsible for another person’s life, having to decide whether they go to prison or not, was terrifying. I’m one of those prison-reform hippies that believes way too many people are in prison anyway, and that prison doesn’t do fuck-all for reforming people. Quite the opposite, usually. I don’t know if it was the look of panic on my face, or that she saw me chatting with the juror who had expressed sympathy for the alleged criminal, but the attorney representing the victim dismissed me. Phew. it all seems like fun and games until you realize someone’s entire future is in your hands.

It was kinda neat being downtown for the protests, though. I didn’t get into it, because I’m a wuss and didn’t want to get arrested while on lunch break for jury duty. But I did cheer on the kids who marched by, even though we all know how hard it is to get kids to cut class. haha.

My take on it is that global trade liberalization has made capital almost totally mobile, so why shouldn’t we let labor move with it? America can flood Mexico with cheap produce, putting farmers out of work, so why can’t they flood America with cheap labor, picking the very produce that put them out of work at home? Yes, people from countries other than Mexico come here illegally, but keeping them out is not the answer. Let more people in, and let them pay taxes, like the rest of us. Then perhaps America wouldn’t be a trillion gazillion dollars in debt!