This week just keeps getting better

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pucho812

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 4, 2004
Messages
15,592
Location
third stone from the sun
My world was rocked pretty hard and combined with everything in the news lately. I gotta just get out some frustrations.

My dad just got diagnosed with cancer this past week. He is 80 and it's melanoma. He had a birth mark on his leg that one day recently, changed colors. They did a biopsy and it was malignant.  it has been removed but this coming week  they are doing a second biopsy on his lymph nodes. If they test negative then nothing to worry about and just return for check ups. If they test positive then need to start discussing treatment.  If he so chooses treatment, something he was discussing and that he may not do it. I never saw him go to the doctor for being sick maybe a broken bone or the shattered hip he got falling off the roof a year ago but never been sick.

Then I spent this entire week on jury duty. Started over a week ago. The case was a criminal assault and battery and to be honest was interesting.
it started off with 2 guys who got into some road rage as one cut off the other guy. Words were yelled back and forth as well as few curse words and gestures. turns out they were going to the same place, to drop their kids off of school. As the arrived. The defendant, the one who originally cut off another driver noticed the other driver was behind him. He took it upon himself to go have words with the other driver.  As he approached the other driver, the other driver flew open his door and nearly hit the defendant with the door. He then got out of his car.  They started to go at it verbally and the defendant claimed that the other driver said I am going to kill you and pushed him. The other driver was 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. The defendant was 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. Now none of the witnesses heard anything but could collaborate visually the pushing as well as what appeared to be verbal confrontation. The defendant right after being pushed threw one punch and hit the other guy.  He then walks away and drives home. The other guy was hit so hard, right in the eye. The guy had his eye socket fractured in 3 spots, has his eye sunken in, has nerve damage with a numb face, and  can't be in the sun or drive for long periods without major head aches. The defendant didn't talk to anyone about it till he was arrested  calling his lawyer then.  Now the defendant claims self defense and also claims his hay maker punch(as it was described) was not intended for the guys eye.  But by California law and how it applies to this case Self defense states you can only use force equal to or less then applied to you.  So ultimately He is guilty. Guilty of felony assault with cause of serious injury. Guilty of felony battery with cause of serious injury.  We the jury deliberated for over a day to reach a verdict that was turned in right before lunch. We break for lunch and when we return the verdict is read in court.  Guilty on both counts. Then the defendants lawyer asked the judge to poll the jurors which is where they go one by one and ask if the verdict entered is what they believe in accordance with the law how it applies and instructions set forth by the judge.  Sure enough the first person they ask, juror #1 starts crying in court going off about how before lunch she felt one way and how now she feels different and on and on about on some personal story. The judge then asks her again as she didn't really answer him, at which she says no I do not. At that point we were sent back into the jury room and asked to deliberate some more. We get called into court where the judge rules our verdict null.  We are then instructed to deliberate again. The day ends and  the next day start with the judge interviewing each juror individually in his chambers as he never has had such a thing happen. After interviewing us we are instructed to deliberate which we did over a day and a half.  Then our foreman sends a note to the judge that we will never reach a verdict. We return to court and the judge asks our foreman why we can't reach a verdict. Is there anything the court can do to help such as reread instructions or reread court testimony. At this point our foreman says no there is not.  On record our foreman explains how juror #1 failed to comply with instructions set forth by the judge, She used the internet to look up various information which was specifically expressed to be a big no no as set forth by the judge.  So on record the judge takes the verdict numbers, not wanting to know guilty or not guilty but what the split was. It was 11 to 1 guilty to not guilty.  We were dismissed after that and a mistrial was declared. A lot of the jurors left really upset when we left that this one person saw him as guilty then for whatever reason changed her mind. Based on the law, how it applies, and the evidence provided in court the d.a. proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty. Why this one juror  saw it differently is beyond me.  Now the good news is that they can do trial again and maybe this time  a jury can reach a verdict, which is what we failed to do.  You never really think about life and how quickly it can change.  Saturday I got cut off driving and I hit the horn. Well the guy maneuvers to get next to me right after and starts to yell at me and gesture to me and such. I had to pull over, I was shaken up. I started to think holy crap that is how the case I was a juror on started and they just wouldn't let it go.

 
Sorry about your Dad - hope everything works out.
Road rage is getting worse everywhere. Have to be careful out there.
I hope everyone here has a good week.
 
Praying for peace, health and strength for your Dad!

My sister was involved in a similar jury situation.  You all did your thing, so let it go.  They won't call you for 10 years or so.  Seems my twice duty only involved being assembled as a jury ready to go which then had the defense take a deal.
Mike
 
Pucho,
These things grow very slowly in older people, so don't despair.  He sounds like a tough guy getting on the roof at his age!

I had a similar jury experience a few years back, it was a drunken brawl in a rugby club with similar injuries to that you describe.  Some of the women on the jury just didn't care about the guilt, they just wanted to let them off and go home!  I got heavy with one and said if you let them get away with it, it could be one of your relatives next.  That seemed to do the trick but it was scary how close we came to a complete failure of justice.  Separate interviews with jurors are not allowed in our courts but sometimes the judge will accept a majority verdict.
All the best
DaveP
 
The Separate interviews with jurors  was to find out if anything had taken place that would be grounds for a mistrial beyond a hung jury due to a verdict being turned in.
 
All the best to you and your father, and thanks for performing your jury duty.
All I can say is I lost my father 28 years ago suddenly to heart problems. He followed his own father and my grandpa by less than 24 hours into the great beyond. Both were good men.
Enjoy that you have time with him and can say the things that are important.
 
Pucho,

I had a similar experience with my father a few years ago. It was a challenging time. Hoping for the best for you both.
 
thanks guys. He goes in Wednesday for the lymph node biopsy. As for the jury thing, I need to get over it. I did what I had to do and the outcome although i don't agree with it well not much I can do about that and only hope justice gets served eventually.
 
oh sorry to hear about that, but as DaveP said, he seems like a tough guy, and unfortunatly yes Cancer sucks big time, but take more time in older people that's true, my Grandma had same Cancer, she was older but was a tough women and we had a lot of good times before anything....
I'd try to change his routine, hanging with him as much as possible, and try to have fun!

Be strong.

T.
 
Well step one was completed and all is well so far. He had the biposy on the lymph nodes and is recovering from that. The doctor said it looked good but still need to test what was removed. So awaiting test results but the outlook so far is it didn't spread.  if that holds all he will have to do is monitor things and do routine checkups.  As for hanging with my dad, We have always had a  good relationship. Even when I didn't understand things like in my teens but looking back on it now he was right as usual.  I do try and hang with him as much as possible as he is not getting any younger. He got me into music and taught music in high school for years before moving up to head the fine arts dept for our local school district. If only he did electronics as well ;) but thanks again guys for all the well wishes, It means a lot.
 
Good to hear!

I'm in the middle of a sh*tstorm atm. 21 of our 22 techs called in sick. Unfortunately, our best telephone answering person is on leave. So some good news is more than welcome!
 
Good to hear!

I'm in the middle of a sh*tstorm atm. 21 of our 22 techs called in sick. Unfortunately, our best telephone answering person is on leave. So some good news is more than welcome!
Hang in there. It could be worse. Getting dumped on for others shortcomings combined with getting dumped on for things. Management don’t want a play by play but get mad I didn’t give a play by play. Thinking I left some things out.
 
I did what management always does: found a victim to filter the calls. She's good at it and she calms people in a most empathic way. No problem after she took over. Gave her a few extra leave days. If only I were 20 years younger :)

Sacked one of the techs. It was about time to set an example. He was seen bloody drunk in a pub, in uniform. That kind of stupidity merits a reward. Besides, I had my eye on him for a while. Caught him lying once too many...
 
I did what management always does: found a victim to filter the calls. She's good at it and she calms people in a most empathic way. No problem after she took over. Gave her a few extra leave days. If only I were 20 years younger :)

Sacked one of the techs. It was about time to set an example. He was seen bloody drunk in a pub, in uniform. That kind of stupidity merits a reward. Besides, I had my eye on him for a while. Caught him lying once too many...
One of the techs here has come in reeking of a hangover, he also has done a drink or two during lunch. But instead of addressing that I got the questions about stress and substance abuse. It has never been me but yet it was asked of me. Not sure how I gave off that impression.
 
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Simply by age?

The youngsters seem to suppose and accept that old folk drink. It's not untrue if you take a look at the stats. But it's mostly beer, no hard liquor over here. If you go on the French speaking part of the country, it's wine in stead of beer. But that's the only significant difference. And if you look at the stats for the mediterranean countries, it's wine again and even lesser beer.

The younger generations drink far less. I have no idea if it's because of more draconian alcohol limits in traffic, or if it's a cultural thing. Since the younger generations also care less about cars (an increasing number no longer wants to obtain a driver's license), I think it's cultural.
 
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