Several recent topics have involved the question of self-defense and possible legal repercussions.

I was wondering how many ETS members are fully-informed jurors? I know that most people do all they can to avoid jury duty. There's even a joke about how would you like to be at the mercy of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty?

It pays less than you would pay a ten-year-old to pull weeds in your yard. Your boss grumbles and moans that he can't afford to let you go for a few days. It puts you behind in your work when you get back to it.

But look at it from the other side: if the SHTF in your personal life and you end up being charged with a crime (guilty or not), do you want your jury to be informed people like yourself, or people like the schmuck down the street who has, possibly, two working brain cells?

If you're not familiar with your rights in the jury room, as a juror or as a defendant, you might want to check out the Fully Informed Jury Association at http://fija.org/. It's a non-profit enterprise that can educate you, tell you what your rights are, tell you what your duties as a juror are, and provide very inexpensive literature for your own education, or for passing out to others.

Their purpose: "The role of our jurors is to protect private citizens from dangerous government laws and actions. Many existing laws erode and deny the rights of the people. Jurors protect against tyranny by refusing to convict harmless people. Our country's founders planned and expected that we, the people, would exercise this power and authority to judge the law as well as the facts every time we serve as jurors. Juries are the last peaceful defense of our civil liberties."

Sound interesting? It is!

Sue