# Scott Peterson juror: Wow, what a fucking idiot you are **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 14, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734 "2004-12-14T04:41:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/61 "2004-12-14T23:02:16Z")
In my opinion, the death penalty is unethical, immoral-- simply wrong. But giving the death penalty in a case where there was _zero_ physical evidence? _Zero_ witnesses? Unthinkable. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/62 "2004-12-14T23:04:17Z")
> [@mack](#): > > I’m floored by the title under your user name and the utter stupidity of this comment. Yet another post defending **CK Dexter Haven** ’s comment. I’m an engineer for a R&D firm, with lots of PhD’s and highly educated folks, and the running joke around here when giving advice to a cow-orker with a jury summons is: “Don’t worry, just tell them you’re an engineer and you’ll be dismissed by the attorney with the weaker case.” Of course, this isn’t always true. I actually got selected for a jury because of my intelligence. It was the _third_ retrial, of a case that had hung three previous juries. So I guess the judge instructed the attorneys to pick smart jurors. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/63 "2004-12-14T23:05:33Z")
> [@](#): > > I can think of nothing crueler or more inhumane than to be told the precise moment of your death and having to face and fight it. > > YMMV. MMDV. I’d say that a pregnant lady being beheaded and dumped into a river (was it a lake?) is magnitudes more cruel and inhumane than a lethal injection, regardless of advance notice. In any case, it’s California. Even if he gets “the death penalty”, he will still rot away and die of old age in prision. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/64 "2004-12-14T23:06:04Z")
> [@](#): > > **hajario** said: > Ooh. A new twist to the little story. Yeah, that makes all of the difference in the world. I bet not a single other person who actually wasn’t an irresponsible dickhead and served were financially independent and got to court using transporter technology. Nice try but still an asshole. I’m sure he’d rather have you think he’s an asshole than have been unable to pay the bills. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/65 "2004-12-14T23:15:50Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > In general, of course, jurors are among the stupidest people on earth. Both sets of attorneys will try to eliminate anyone with brains, for a number of reasons: Well, I guess that explains why they let me on a jury… ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/66 "2004-12-14T23:15:58Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > In general, of course, jurors are among the stupidest people on earth. Both sets of attorneys will try to eliminate anyone with brains, for a number of reasons: Well, I guess that explains why they let me on a jury… ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/67 "2004-12-14T23:16:58Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > I’m sure he’d rather have you think he’s an asshole than have been unable to pay the bills. In other words, what he did was indefenceable. Haj ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/68 "2004-12-14T23:37:53Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > Yet another post defending **CK Dexter Haven** ’s comment. > \ > Of course, this isn’t always true. I actually got selected for a jury because of my intelligence. It was the _third_ retrial, of a case that had hung three previous juries. So I guess the judge instructed the attorneys to pick smart jurors. uhh yeah. So in general jurors are the stupidest people on earth except for juror C K Dexter Haven, juror bughunter, and myself, of course, and the people I served with. Hey how about the other jurors on your guys’ juries? Were they really stupid? I wonder who’s going to come along next and agree with C K Dexter Haven’s assertion about how stupid jurors are, and then admit to being one, but I guess not one of the stupid ones, right? Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/69 "2004-12-15T00:21:37Z")
> [@](#): > > **hajario** said: > In other words, what he did was indefenceable. In the opinion of some anonymous messageboard poster. Whoopdeefuckingdoo. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/70 "2004-12-15T01:12:17Z")
> [@mack](#): > > uhh yeah. So in general jurors are the stupidest people on earth except for juror C K Dexter Haven, juror bughunter, and myself, of course, and the people I served with. Hey how about the other jurors on your guys’ juries? Were they really stupid? Given that you’re trying to argue a point that **Dex** never brought up (i.e.: “jurors are [not] the stupidest people on earth (sic)”), you just might be dumber than you think. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/71 "2004-12-15T02:46:12Z")
When being a juror conflicts with one’s ability to earn a living and pay one’s debts, then the problem is not the individual trying to avoiding jury duty, but rather the system putting the individual in an extremely difficult position. Judges, lawyers, court staff, law enforcement and corrections officers all get paid. Why should jurors, who perform a key role in the justice system, not also be paid? I submit that they should receive a per diem based on their previous year’s reported income, with such per diem not to be below minimum wage. I As far as the increased cost to the system goes, it should be spread via taxation to everyone. The cost of having a jury system should not be borne by individual jurors through their sacrifices of employment. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/72 "2004-12-15T13:41:06Z")
> [@](#): > > **Muffin** said: > I submit that they should receive a per diem based on their previous year’s reported income, with such per diem not to be below minimum wage. A week or more of making less than half your real salary would still leave you able to pay all your bills? ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/73 "2004-12-15T14:04:11Z")
> [@mouthbreather](#): > > MMDV. I’d say that a pregnant lady being beheaded and dumped into a river (was it a lake?) is magnitudes more cruel and inhumane than a lethal injection, regardless of advance notice. Thank you, I was going to say that. You left out the part where the pregnant lady was killed by her “loving” husband, the one that made an oath to love, cherish and honor her. That sounds much fucking worse to me. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/74 "2004-12-15T15:29:57Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > In other words, what he did was indefenceable. > > Haj and unspellable. “lighten up Frances.” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/75 "2004-12-15T15:54:28Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > and unspellable. Yeah, that was pretty bad. Still, serving on a jury once every _two years_ at the very most is your duty as a citizen unless there is serious illness or something involved. People who slime out of jury duty should be ashamed of themselves. To brag about it is a special kind of stupid. Haj ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/76 "2004-12-15T15:55:33Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Given that you’re trying to argue a point that **Dex** never brought up (i.e.: “jurors are [not] the stupidest people on earth (sic)”), you just might be dumber than you think. You mean _this_ point? > [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > In general, of course, jurors are among the stupidest people on earth. Ok, I left out ‘of course’ and ‘among’. Anyway, w/r/t **bughunter’s** post, I just found it silly that people who served on juries actually believe this, then seek to exempt themselves. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/77 "2004-12-15T16:13:06Z")
> [@](#): > > **hajario** said: > Still, serving on a jury once every two years at the very most is your duty as a citizen unless there is serious illness or something involved. People who slime out of jury duty should be ashamed of themselves. To brag about it is a special kind of stupid. Pay me my salary at the time for the duration of jury duty, and I’ll go. If, however, I’m going to get half of what I’m making and be unable to pay the bills, well, fuck jury duty. I need to make a living far more than I need to sit in a jury box. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/78 "2004-12-15T16:24:07Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > I need to make a living far more than I need to sit in a jury box. Me too, dumbshit. The same goes for everyone else in the jury box. What makes you so special that you shouldn’t have to do it and everyone else does? Haj ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/79 "2004-12-15T17:31:03Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Me too, dumbshit. The same goes for everyone else in the jury box. What makes you so special that you shouldn’t have to do it and everyone else does? > > Haj The question should be what makes a person so special that that person should shoulder society’s burden, rather than society shoulder the burden. Put another way, why should you not be conscripted to occasionally and freely dig ditches, or clean hospitals, or deliver mail, or perform any number of tasks that are required by society as a whole and paid for by society as a whole? Why should jury duty be any different? Why should jurors have to go without income for what can be extended periods? ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734/80 "2004-12-15T17:42:33Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Me too, dumbshit. The same goes for everyone else in the jury box. What makes you so special that you shouldn’t have to do it and everyone else does? > > Haj Because, idiot, some people have the means and the abilities to take their jobs and lives less seriously than others. Me? I can’t do jury time. Fuck that. I miss a day of work, I lose out on money. Money that I have to pay the man with. I don’t pay the man, they fuck my life up. Bills, rent, school. Not only do I work full-time, but I go to school part-time. On a jury request form, I’d still be eligible for jury duty, even though it’s undoable in reality. If they matched salaries with my employer-who can’t pay for a no-show employee just because of jury duty-then maybe I’d consider it. Until then, forget it. My time is way too precious for that crap. Sam P.S.- come down off of your perilously high horse. You may fall off and end up like Chris Reeves if you’re not careful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-peterson-juror-wow-what-a-fucking-idiot-you-are/279734.md?page=5)