Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Namah Sivaya all, I hope everyone is as well as we all can be. I have a situation entirely new to me and am in a bit of a quandry as to how to handle it. I have been called to jury duty in a capital murder case. Jury selection begins next Tuesday. The trial is projected to last 3 weeks. Besides the fact that it will probably delay my departure to go to Seattle to start the tour. and may even keep me from making the beginning, I am in a quandry as to how to handle it. Mother teaches us that the past is a cancelled check, so I find it futile to sit in judgment over another's actions in the past. I may also be asked to pass judgment on the accused's right to remain on this planet if it comes to that. I would never be able to do that. Other than telling the judge this, when I am interviewed at jury selection (I am juror #1 on the rolls) dos anyone have any advice or wisdom to impart to me on this? Has Amma spoken on this subject? Thanks to all, Mike Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Namaste Mike, I seem to remember that I was able to be excused from jury duty by writing a letter and/or telephone call( maybe just the phone call ). I did write it all out first and stated basically two reasons: 1) would be unable to make unbiased judgment in that case( do not remember the details ) due to my spiritual convictions; it should be YOUR spiritual conviction( not what Amma or someone else says is my feeling ) 2) some ones welfare depended on my emotional support for that period Do not know which reason or both allowed for me to be excused. So, see if your jury petition has a phone # to call. If not, maybe the judge will excuse you if he feels your conviction is strong during the interview. The fact that it is an inconvenience should be a secondary point or perhaps not mention it at all initially. That is you should be sure that your strong conviction is not merely to avoid an inconvenience. That should work. But, there may also be secondary option to request a postponement if needed which may be only for certain reasons. Good Luck with Amma's Blessings, amarnath Ammachi, "Mike Montoya" <mmm> wrote: > > Namah Sivaya all, > I hope everyone is as well as we all can be. > I have a situation entirely new to me and am in a bit of a quandry as > to how to handle it. > > I have been called to jury duty in a capital murder case. Jury > selection begins next Tuesday. The trial is projected to last 3 > weeks. Besides the fact that it will probably delay my departure to > go to Seattle to start the tour. and may even keep me from making the > beginning, I am in a quandry as to how to handle it. > > Mother teaches us that the past is a cancelled check, so I find it > futile to sit in judgment over another's actions in the past. I may > also be asked to pass judgment on the accused's right to remain on > this planet if it comes to that. I would never be able to do that. > > Other than telling the judge this, when I am interviewed at jury > selection (I am juror #1 on the rolls) dos anyone have any advice or > wisdom to impart to me on this? Has Amma spoken on this subject? > > Thanks to all, > Mike > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Dear Mike, If you are absolutely opposed to the death penalty, you should be upfront about that. However, on the issue of whether or not you should try to avoid weighing evidence to decide whether or not there is reasonable doubt that someone committed a crime...does Amma say that there should be no consequences for our actions? Has Amma ever implied that there shouldn't be courts of law or a justice system (even if these may need improvement) or that we should not participate in these aspects of our society? Personally, I would not be comfortable living in a country in which people who committed capital crimes were not tried/sentenced just because "the past is a cancelled check." In truth, it seems to me that there is a distinction between proper discrimination (that would make for a dharmic jury) and the sort of judgmentalism rooted in bias/emotion, a difference between judging, beyond a reasonable doubt, whether or not a person committed a murder and judging someone to be a horrible-excuse-for-a-person forever. In "To Kill A Mockingbird," Atticus says: "A court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up." You have to discern for yourself what is dharmic for you, but, for myself, I've felt that the dharmic thing to do is to report and be willing to do the best job that I can (making my personal convictions about things like the death penalty clear). Of course, lawyers hate having psychologists on the jury, so I've never actually been selected to serve at any trials! (As a side note, I know in some states, you are allowed to postpone once or twice.) Best wishes, Iswari Ammachi, "Mike Montoya" <mmm> wrote: > > Namah Sivaya all, > I hope everyone is as well as we all can be. > I have a situation entirely new to me and am in a bit of a quandry as > to how to handle it. > > I have been called to jury duty in a capital murder case. Jury > selection begins next Tuesday. The trial is projected to last 3 > weeks. Besides the fact that it will probably delay my departure to > go to Seattle to start the tour. and may even keep me from making the > beginning, I am in a quandry as to how to handle it. > > Mother teaches us that the past is a cancelled check, so I find it > futile to sit in judgment over another's actions in the past. I may > also be asked to pass judgment on the accused's right to remain on > this planet if it comes to that. I would never be able to do that. > > Other than telling the judge this, when I am interviewed at jury > selection (I am juror #1 on the rolls) dos anyone have any advice or > wisdom to impart to me on this? Has Amma spoken on this subject? > > Thanks to all, > Mike > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 Or if you're up for a challenge, you could be not upfront about any opposition to the death penalty you have, as jury nullification, as I see it, is our most direct access to changing laws (and minds). Being on that jury provides you with an opportunity to, well, touch the law and move it around a bit. And to perhaps make a huge difference. That said, it's a stressful proposition, and not really for everyone. Particularly when seeing Amma is on the line. If you decide that you can't do it, you will likely be let go if you explain that there is no circumstance under which you could vote to have someone put to death. Which may also include difficulty in assigning a guilty verdict, if you knew that the death penalty would certainly be the punishment. Also, Iswari has a good point. You may be able to delay your service for several months, in which case you could see Amma and then also have another opportunity to serve. And hopefully that next opportunity will be so very simple and clear cut! Much love, Romi --- ammasiswari <ammasiswari > wrote: > Dear Mike, > > If you are absolutely opposed to the death penalty, > you should be upfront about that. > > However, on the issue of whether or not you should > try to avoid weighing evidence to > decide whether or not there is reasonable doubt that > someone committed a crime...does > Amma say that there should be no consequences for > our actions? Has Amma ever implied > that there shouldn't be courts of law or a justice > system (even if these may need > improvement) or that we should not participate in > these aspects of our society? > Personally, I would not be comfortable living in a > country in which people who committed > capital crimes were not tried/sentenced just because > "the past is a cancelled check." > > In truth, it seems to me that there is a distinction > between proper discrimination (that > would make for a dharmic jury) and the sort of > judgmentalism rooted in bias/emotion, a > difference between judging, beyond a reasonable > doubt, whether or not a person > committed a murder and judging someone to be a > horrible-excuse-for-a-person forever. > > In "To Kill A Mockingbird," Atticus says: > > "A court is no better than each man of you sitting > before me on this jury. A court is only as > sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as > the men who make it up." > > You have to discern for yourself what is dharmic for > you, but, for myself, I've felt that the > dharmic thing to do is to report and be willing to > do the best job that I can (making my > personal convictions about things like the death > penalty clear). Of course, lawyers hate > having psychologists on the jury, so I've never > actually been selected to serve at any trials! > > (As a side note, I know in some states, you are > allowed to postpone once or twice.) > > Best wishes, > Iswari > > Ammachi, "Mike Montoya" > <mmm> wrote: > > > > Namah Sivaya all, > > I hope everyone is as well as we all can be. > > I have a situation entirely new to me and am in a > bit of a quandry as > > to how to handle it. > > > > I have been called to jury duty in a capital > murder case. Jury > > selection begins next Tuesday. The trial is > projected to last 3 > > weeks. Besides the fact that it will probably > delay my departure to > > go to Seattle to start the tour. and may even keep > me from making the > > beginning, I am in a quandry as to how to handle > it. > > > > Mother teaches us that the past is a cancelled > check, so I find it > > futile to sit in judgment over another's actions > in the past. I may > > also be asked to pass judgment on the accused's > right to remain on > > this planet if it comes to that. I would never be > able to do that. > > > > Other than telling the judge this, when I am > interviewed at jury > > selection (I am juror #1 on the rolls) dos anyone > have any advice or > > wisdom to impart to me on this? Has Amma spoken > on this subject? > > > > Thanks to all, > > Mike > > > > > > > Tired of spam? Mail has the best spam protection around Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Mata amritanandamayi Visit your group " Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 I am reposting this in the hopes that the others I tried to post don't all show up! The server has gone wacko! Here are some things to consider: from the book Leading to the Light, in the beginning of the book, Amma talks a lot about dharma- society and wrong doers, a soldier's dharma, and so on so here is one excerpt regarding war in the Bhagavad Gita: "A mahatma gives more importance to the welfare of society than to the happiness or sadness of any individual. If Duryodhana and his supporters had been allowed to thrive, society would have been riddled with evil. Lord Krishna knew that dharma could be maintained only if those individuals were destroyed. This is why He urged Arjuna to fight. To stand passively by and watch as evil unfolds, without taking any action or feeling any concern, is an even greater evil." Whether Amma is for or against the death penalty is questionable, I would guess not. However, it is clear that those who can harm society must have consequences to protect the innocent. As far as being removed from the jury selection: You will be interviewed and should state the truth about your beliefs/feelings on the death penalty. However, even if the death penalty is sought by the prosecution, that does not mean that should the defendant be found guilty that the death penalty is a given. I have served on such a case years ago and the jury decides this. IF the prosecution is seeking the death penalty, you will most likely be asked if you would be able to vote for the death penalty for the crime committed. Finally, requesting to be removed by sending a letter or calling is not always possibly depending on your jurisdiction. In my county it has become next to impossible to be removed prior to the jury selection (interviews). But again, it is different everywhere so be sure to inquire if this is what you desire. I hope this helps. adriane Ammachi, "Mike Montoya" <mmm> wrote: > > Namah Sivaya all, > I hope everyone is as well as we all can be. > I have a situation entirely new to me and am in a bit of a quandry as > to how to handle it. > > I have been called to jury duty in a capital murder case. Jury > selection begins next Tuesday. The trial is projected to last 3 > weeks. Besides the fact that it will probably delay my departure to > go to Seattle to start the tour. and may even keep me from making the > beginning, I am in a quandry as to how to handle it. > > Mother teaches us that the past is a cancelled check, so I find it > futile to sit in judgment over another's actions in the past. I may > also be asked to pass judgment on the accused's right to remain on > this planet if it comes to that. I would never be able to do that. > > Other than telling the judge this, when I am interviewed at jury > selection (I am juror #1 on the rolls) dos anyone have any advice or > wisdom to impart to me on this? Has Amma spoken on this subject? > > Thanks to all, > Mike > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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