Vaping and Jury Duty

[Mary Kay]

Right off the bat..It was raining O.K.? I had Jury Duty today. Our Jury room is shiny and new! It has several rooms besides the large announcement room. T.V.'s all over the place, all tuned to Infomercials? No news at all..wouldn't want to taint the Jury pool..lol. I don't want that Chuck Norris exercize thing btw. We also have computers that have any thing e-realted and cigarette related banned.
The point is that we used to have a nice outdoor smoking area, part under cover and part open. It was surrounded by very very high walls but the Fire Dept. decided it was a fire hazzard??
So as a result we have to go outside. Everytime you go outside you have to do the security thing, shoes and all. No covered areas.
So what does it have to do with me? I always try to vape where people smoke, if it would just cause a hissy fit if I didn't. I would smoke in many places..inside the courthouse isn't one of them!
I take that back..I was really P.O.'ed today, the 8am cattle call, two judges who were making us wait, wait for voir dire. I was tired and bored so I vaped! I blew the smoke under the sweater I brought to keep me from freezing in the zero degree courthouse.
Nobody noticed and they didn't notice or care about my P.V. and supplies including my nico stick in my purse when I went through security.. twice.
oh! The one time I did go outside (before the rain) I made a convert!

 

[Ryle]

Neat story Mary... but I cant help but wonder.. why was anything e-related or cigarette blocked????????

That's the part of the whole thing that really stuck with me

 

[Mary Kay]

Geeze Louise Ryle, I do 10 minutes on the subject and you worry about the computer?
I asked the clerk why I couldn't log in or even get the comuter to load E Cigarette Forum..she said it blocked lots of things so that the Jury pool wasn't contaminated. ??? She also said there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it. I think I know why..somebody had to program the program..somebody doesn't like smoking.
I was just too tired and pissy to go back and mess with the computer anymore or I would have looked up lots of search strings.

 

[Misty]

Very Cool! Jury duty!....just like the movies
great story..Mary Kay..how many days or weeks do you have to "sacrifice"

 

[Ryle]

lol of course.. don't you know by now that I'm usually more interested in the more asinine details than the main points? hehehe actually the whole concept of jury duty gives me the willies

 

[Mary Kay]

Osceola Co. is a small place, population wise. I served from 8am to 12noon..4 whole hours! Last year I served from 8am to 4pm! But I have never had to be on a Jury! Thank goodness. I have a short fuse.
During Voir dire, I usually mange to make one lawyer or another mad. I think that's best for all of us. I don't fancy being in jail for making a judge mad.
A couple of years ago they wanted me for Federal Court. I didn't have to go..whew! That's weeks or months of service up in Orlando. No thanks!
I can't figure out how to dodge that though..no body come back and tell me it's my duty! I am not spending the next two months in a hotel in some Florida county 200 miles from home. That's what they wanted last time!

We have the Casey Anthony case coming up soon..I'll just send a "I watch Nancy Grace" card! That should keep me well out of it!

 

[Lorena_Palin]

I think the smoking thing is in case they get a "smoking in a public place" thing or a lawsuit around smoking laws. Your not supposed to be looking up or using information/evidence not presented by the defense/prosecution

 

[Mary Kay]

Lorena, you are probably right..but the just about everything is being litagated these days! The computer directory must look like a newspaper with all the news articals cut out! LOL

 

[chad]

Congratulations both on the victory in converting another analog smoker and for the clandestine vape in a courthouse! Nice story.

 

[Mary Kay]

Chad, My poor hubby rolls his eyes whenever I bring out the P.V. in public! He knows some poor schmuck is in for another..this is the cart..this the atomizer..lecture

 

[QueenInNC]

Chad, My poor hubby rolls his eyes whenever I bring out the P.V. in public! He knows some poor schmuck is in for another..this is the cart..this the atomizer..lecture

Same here, MK! My husband just keeps on walking. lol

 

[Ryle]

....
I can't figure out how to dodge that though..no body come back and tell me it's my duty! I am not spending the next two months in a hotel in some Florida county 200 miles from home. That's what they wanted last time!

We have the Casey Anthony case coming up soon..I'll just send a "I watch Nancy Grace" card! That should keep me well out of it!

Send them a letter thanking them for the opportunity to put more people behind bars, take the time to make yourself sound like a crazy racist communist.. they'll think you're too nuts and ask you not to serve. My personal favorite is saying you believe in capital punishment for all crimes and if they're showing up in court they MUST be guilty so you'd like to give your guilty verdict now and save everyone the time. They want a fair unbiased jury.. if they think you are neither of the two hen they don't want you

 

[Kate51]

Speaking of Nancy Grace, I'm so mad at her, there's been no more breaking news for months now.....ooooh, I would love to do the duty for that one!!
I can decipher between evidence and opinion, most of the time...I've had kid troubles, but that one is over the top, for heaven's sake. Makes me feel lucky. I've never seen parents so delusional, but there I go again, that's just opinion...but it is evident!!

 

[Mary Kay]

Ryle, last time I ran a bunch of what if I did this or that (including a pic of me in full hippie dress) past some friends. But my friend..a lawyer explained to me that the feds have no sense of humor..zip nada..zilch. I would find myself self in front of them instead of in being a juror on a grand jury case.
Even the Judge who gave the "thank you for your service lecture", yesterday, said that "She had heard every excuse in the world..but would love to let us try a new one! But if she excused us today..we would be ordered back next week and if our problem hadn't been solved by then, she would find the appropriate punishment."
Giving crazy excuses could also land me in court ordered therapy. So I still have to figure something out besides death..even then if they need butts to fill a seat..
Oh I am for the death penalty if they have proven guilt in a hands down, for sure, I confess and here are the pictures and witnesses case. But for everything else..nope, Law and Order makes too many oops. Can't take death back.
Kate, once in a while I do watch nancy, but mostly she makes me mad. She never lets her panel get a word in edgewise and she is so judgemental. She had her .... handed to her in the Michael Jackson, O.J. and Robert Blake cases. She couldn't backtrack fast enough. The other day I was clicking past all the Jackson hoopla and she was saying..we had our disagreements but the Jury spoke and we must accept his innocence! I could have knocked her upside the head!
I don't know if Anthony is guilty or not..but if it walks like a duck..

 

[maryjo]

I live in a small town in Louisiana. Our courthouse has the security scanners just inside the courtroom (yes we only have one). We cannot even bring a purse or handbag into the courtroom. I haven't figured out a way to bring the e-cig in. If you hide it in your clothing I assume it would set of the scanner. I'm afraid that if I carry it in like my keys they will confiscate it.

 

[Mary Kay]

What about men? Do they take wallets..that seems kind of sexist to me!
Do they provide lockers? Anywhere to leave your stuff? or do they expect you to lock it in your car?

 

[maryjo]

What about men? Do they take wallets..that seems kind of sexist to me!
Do they provide lockers? Anywhere to leave your stuff? or do they expect you to lock it in your car?

You are supposed to lock your stuff in your car!

 

[Mary Kay]

Do you know the worst thing about living in a small town is? They know where you live if you fail to show up when they summon you!
Leave it in the car..there are parts of Tampa and Orlando I wouldn't leave my car..let alone my stuff in my car!

 

[scatterbrain]

LOL Good for you Mary Kay! I was in a similar situation during my FIRST WEEK of no analogs/e-cigs back in April. It was the worst timing for JD in terms of my job commitments and I was fit to be tied when I got picked. Spent 4 days fuming about being there (ambulence chaser case, wasting everyone's time) and I NEEDED nicotine! It was a rainy week and the outside smoking area wasn't sheltered...I was so thankful to have the e-cig and be able to secretly vape on breaks in the bathroom stalls and around the vending machines when no one was directly beside me. I'm sure they could have seen me on camera around the vending machines if they'd been looking, but I was using a 901 and was pretty discreet.

I have NO DOUBT in those early days of quitting that under the circumstances and frustration I would have been right back to smoking if it hadn't been for my e-cig. And I think that was my first real public e-cig usage...in the county courthouse!

 

[Michele]

Interesting you mentioned this. I received a jury summons just last week and I'm supposed to report on Monday, July 20th. I was wondering if vaping while in the waiting pool was allowed. I'm 44 years old and this is the first time that I've ever been called for jury duty. (I must admit I'm a little excited about it!)