Dana, hey! I saw the pictures of your parents' house. It's unbelievable. I hope your dad is right and that it is salvagable. My cousin's mom is going back Monday, and I'm trying to get her a press pass so she can move around a bit more and check on some stuff. I'm going to see if they can maybe get some pictures of our areas. Much sympathy to you and yours.

I'm kinda hoping it won't take more than a few hours. I'm an idealistic liberal in Texas, no way any prosecutor wants me on that jury. Besides, they usually send a bunch of people home before they even get to the picking part.

Off to do my civic duty.

Huh. Mine doesn't have such a box. I can be disqualified for not being a citizen, being over 70 or under 18, not speaking English, not living in the county, convicted of a felony, having already served, being physically or mentally incapable, or a primary care-giver for a permanently disabled perosn. That's it. And then I can request an alternate site if it'll be too hard for me to get to the courthouse, but it doesn't say anything about being a student.

Call them and ask maybe?

Another patch of good news: Algiers and Jefferson Parish are being reopened. My grandparents and great-aunt will be able to go home by Sunday, if they want.

When they were doing the whatsit, voir dire?--the thingy where the attorneys chose the jury--for my group, they let a breast-feeding woman leave. Which seems quite reasonable, but I've never been quite that desperate to get out of jury duty.

Pssst, Cindy, there's no link in your post.

Emily, just fake being mentally incapable.

I can be disqualified for not being a citizen, being over 70 or under 18, not speaking English, not living in the county, convicted of a felony, having already served, being physically or mentally incapable, or a primary care-giver for a permanently disabled perosn.

Ha! When I was in college, in Hampshire county, they called me despite my not being a citizen of the state. (I legally resided in Connecticut.) There was no "I don't live here" exemption, then. Of course, they also reoutinely called foreign students too, and they had to go in person to the courthouse to prove they were not citizens.

Knock wood that I am not called any time soon.

I don't think Karl Rove being on his back maoning in agony would have made disorganized people over their heads act any less disorganized. There would just have been more lying and adroit reality-denial, which would haev obscured the problem. So, really, we're all better off that ole Karl was peeing rocks, because I for one am a fan of reality.

Anyone know why Bush calls him "Turd Blossom"? Is it because he can make shit look good?