Editor’s note: Recently in The Voice, the announcement was made of the death of the conductor of the column, Ask Grandpa, which provided readers with 503 weeks of sage advice, humor, and continuity. Below is the repeat of the July 1, 2021 column. The Voice will continue to offer previous columns. We invite special requests of previous columns.
Grandpa,
I was going to send this as a letter to the editor, but they’d print my name. I know you keep names out of the paper. I don’t need people to know my name. You see, I am an ex-felon. I am writing in response to the person who wrote a letter to the editor pitching a fit about having been called for jury duty. When I was in court on my case, my lawyer and I decided that we wanted a jury trial. We felt that there may have been some prejudice on the part of the judge assigned to preside over my trial. With 12 people sitting on the jury, we had a better chance of getting justice instead of railroaded. I was given a reasonable and fair sentence. Prison was the best thing that ever happened to me, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing. I still do not believe that I would have gotten a fair bench trial. The notion of a one-person jury is just preposterous. And the idea that it is too much trouble to uphold the Constitution or serve one’s country and/or community is just plain sickening. I wish I had the opportunity to sit on a jury. I would render what I thought to be the true verdict as presented by the facts. Before prison, I doubt that I would have done that. I want to thank the jurors that found me guilty and gave me a fair sentence. They are far more American and Christian than people that are too self-centered to serve.
Grandpa says: Thank you for your response and the attitude that you now have about the entire criminal justice system. I invite all of my readers to express their thoughts about serving on a jury. I’ll print all letters that I get on the subject.
Grandpa,
I think that we are never going to get away from having to wear masks in public, not even if this pandemic is cured. There are too many big companies raking in millions of dollars on the business of making and selling masks, sanitizers, social distancing signs and a whole lot of other stuff. The government isn’t going to want to put those companies out of business by declaring the pandemic over. Let’s all get used to the idea of wearing masks forever. There is no end in sight.
Grandpa says: Feel free to throw in the towel whenever you want. That is your choice. But truly red-blooded Americans, either born and bred here or came here seeking a better life, know that the only way to beat an unseen enemy is through perseverance. Where would we be if people like George Washington said that King George is too powerful a foe? Did John Glenn ever say, ‘Why bother? The Moon is too far away,”? Did the fight for civil rights end when James Earl Ray killed Dr. King? You want to give up? Then give up. Just don’t get in the way those of us who are pressing toward a better tomorrow.