Catching Idle Butterflies

Conscious Plagiarism

One thing I really hate about great writers is they’re so . . . great! They write about a subject so well, all you can do is read over and over again and think, “Wow! I wish I could write like that!”

Worse is when I want to write about the same subject later on, all I can do is stare at my blank page, try to write something only to erase it because I find myself stealing the great writer’s words.

This happened to me just today, although it began yesterday. I received a Jury Summons in the mail last night. I wanted to write about my thoughts on it today, but I find myself wanting to write exactly what partyof5dj wrote in a recent entry ("Invalid Entry" ) about the same subject. Dang it, Party! Why can’t you suck as a writer? Because of you I’m resorting to plagiarism to get my thoughts across!

Dave and I moved to ND ten years ago, and this is the third time I might be called up. The first two times were within a year of each other. Dave has yet to be called once.

Both were one-day trials, six-man (or if you like the PC word better: six-person) juries. One was a disorderly conduct and the second a DUI.

The disorderly conduct one we ended up declaring not-guilty due to one single word in the charges. The man had apparently made a few inappropriate comments to the young ladies working at a convenience store, enough so he scared them. We heard the comments made, and though not wise, we all agreed they were pretty mild. But, the comments themselves were not the issue. The charges asked, did the man intend to harm or frighten the girls in the store. “Intent” was the word that acquitted him. He simply made an offhand comment. He had no intention of harming or frightening anyone. I found how everyone on the jury that day scrutinized the charges, all the way down to words like “it” and “is” as much as we did the evidence against him.

The DUI went even smoother. However, I made the mistake of mentioning I had recently been on a jury, so the rest agreed to make me foreman (or again for the PC crowd: foreperson). The man charged went to purchase a meal at Burger King at 11:30 at night. As he walked out with his meal, a sheriff came to the counter. The cashier then mentioned to the sheriff she thought she smelled alcohol on his breath. The sheriff decided to follow the man to see if that was the case. Here’s what the man did: As he stopped to turn onto the street, he flicked his lights off and on again to make sure they were indeed on. He then turned onto the street, pausing instead of stopping at the next stop sign. The sheriff pulled him over, and as he talked to the driver, he smelled beer, and also noticed beer cans strewn in the back of the car. The sheriff then decided to give him a breathalyzer test. The machine was busted. So they took a blood test. We were given the lab results as evidence, and here’s part of what acquitted him. No where on the sheet did it indicate the lab tech added the blood to the mixture to determine his alcohol level. If the breathalyzer had not been broken, and further indicated his drunkenness, we would have convicted him. Plus, the way he drove home, flashing his lights on and off, as well as not stopping at a stop sign are things I’ve done, especially so late at night when there’s no traffic.

I enjoyed being on both juries, and would be happy to do it again. I find the legal procedures and the subsequent deliberations fascinating. It’s a perfect opportunity as a writer to see how people react to others, and how they think about the charges, the evidence, and the people involved.