I got a chance to participate in our legal system this week.  For the past three weeks I was on standby for jury duty and I finally got called to report earlier this week.  As soon as I showed up I was assigned to the jury pool for a medical malpractice case.  The plaintiff was suing his doctor for what he claimed was a botched operation.

I sat in the jury box for the first time in my life and answered questions from the judge and the attorneys for both sides.  I responded with direct answers to their questions and also provided my opinions and perspectives concerning the medical and insurance industries when appropriate.  It became very clear that the plaintiff would not want me on the jury since I believe that many frivolous medical related law suits increase insurance costs and have created a less than optimal environment for the provision of medical care.

After all the questions were asked the lawyers knocked out potential jurors that they did not want on the jury.  I was one of those asked to leave, as expected, and I returned to the jury room for another assignment that did not materialize.  I have no idea how the case turned out but I did what I was suppose to do as a responsible citizen.

I certainly understand that the legal system cannot have biased jurors but there is no doubt that I would have been one of the most analytical people on the jury for a case that most likely become very technical since it concerned a complex medical procedure.  They kept the young man sitting next to me on the jury.  The young man stated that he is a mail clerk.  But that is the way the system works. 

Many aspects of our government and legal system are not optimal  but do we really want them changed?  Sometimes a less than optimal system is the fairest way to proceed even if in some cases it produces a less than optimal outcome.  For those that want the government more involved in our lives, do you really want the government to make more and more decisions for us or do we want to make our own decisions including who gets to judge our case if we need a jury trial?

TPM 

Why do so many members of the media and east coast establishment despise Sarah Palin?  Why did Sarah do so well during the Republican National Convention and get rave reviews by many and then have everyone turn on her?

I think their may be a very simple answer.  I believe that Sarah's normal speech pattern sounds wrong to many people, particularly well educated east coasters.  When she read her speech at the convention she sounded great.  The speech was written using the normal language that one would expect from an establishment speech writer.  Sarah delivered the speech beautifully and created incredible excitement in the political world as a result.

During her one-on-one interviews that followed people got the opportunity to listen to her talk about many items includingthe key issues of the election.  I believe many folks were turned off by her speech pattern.  Her speech pattern sounds very unusual to many of us.  Sometimes I get a bit confused trying to listen to her speak.  I think many people translated her speech pattern into a lack of education or lack of intelligence.  They quickly forgot how well she could read and deliver a speech that was written in "regular language".

I have tried to listen to the content of Sarah's statements and ignore her delivery.  It is tough to do sometimes.  I think many well educated people simply wrote her off when they heard her speak in her normal manner.  The content of her statements don't matter.  it is all about the delivery.

This is simply an observation that I have made.  I am not sure I am right on this point.   But I think I have it right.

TPM

Governor Sarah Palin announced she is resigning as Alaska's governor and will not finish out her term.  It appears that all the media attacks on Sarah and her family and political attacks from both Republicans and Democrats finally took their toll on her family life.  No one knows where Ms. Palin is headed at this point from a political perspective.  Some analysts have suggested that she wants to run for President in 2012 and will begin an informal campaign very soon.  Others suggest that her political career is over.

I have seen some reports that Ms. Palin and her husband have taken a major financial hit from defending themselves against all of the legal actions that have been part of the political attack on her.  It is quite possible they could no longer afford for Ms. Palin to stay in office.

I wish Ms. Palin and her family well in the future.  I am sure there are conservative groups that will be more than willing to pay Ms. Palin a nice fee to speak to them.  Ms. Palin is reported to have a book deal in the works as well.  I hope she can make enough money to make her family financially independent.  Ms. Palin still has young children at home that need her attention.  Her unwed mother daughter and grandson also need her support as well.

I don't agree with all of Ms. Palin's views on issues.  I don't believe she was fully prepared to be Vice President last fall.  However, the unmerciful attacks that have been levied on her have been grossly unfair.  The McCain election team staffers that have been backstabbing her have proved themselves to be low life political hacks.  The McCain team picked her to McCain's running mate.  That had months to make their decision.  If they made a bad decision selecting her it was not her fault.  My belief is that they are backstabbing her because she became the star of the campaign, not McCain.  What did they expect when a very attractive, engaging woman that appeals to the political views of significant percentage of the electorate appears on the national scene?  Are we surprised she quickly became a media star in this age of 24x7 news coverage on cable TV and the internet?

I wish Sarah Palin well in her future endevors.  I hope she continues to express her views on a national level.  At the same time I hope her family life improves and her children get the opportunity to develop and grow outside the glare of the national poltical spotlight.

TPM