For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)
Sending Balloons Into Sky Is a Bust for Environment
DEAR ABBY: I was surprised when it was announced in my church newsletter recently that an event was to conclude with the release of hundreds of balloons into the sky. It took some doing to explain that what goes into the sky eventually comes back down to earth.
I'm not an active environmentalist, but I have been involved with my daughters' Girl Scout troops for 10 years. We teach the girls to recycle, conserve and take care of Mother Earth.
Balloons released into the air often travel many miles before returning to earth, and their effect on wildlife can be deadly. Animals eat the balloons, which cause intestinal blockage and eventual starvation. They also get tangled up in the strings and, unable to free themselves, die a slow and painful death because they can't reach food or water. Also, balloons are not biodegradable. Those colored bits of shriveled plastic you see littering the beaches are going to be there for a long time, if they don't get caught in some fish's throat first.
I read in my local newspaper that some states -- New York, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, New Jersey Kentucky, Virginia and California -- have enacted laws specifically to curb or eliminate the release of balloons.
Abby, if you print my letter, you will be educating many readers who do not realize the potential harm they are causing when they release those pretty balloons. It would be so much better to keep them, and deliver them to a nursing home instead. -- FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT, BURNSVILLE, MINN.
DEAR FRIEND: I'm delighted to help you spread the word to my many readers who are committed to preserving our environment. We all should be.
DEAR ABBY: I am a semiprofessional photographer. I charge for some of my work, but most of it is done for fun.
Recently I attended the wedding reception of some close friends, and I shot four rolls of film (about 100 photos) at the event. I had the film processed and printed, and I printed labels for the backs of the pictures giving the date and names of those in the photos. I put them in a wedding album and gave it to the bride and groom as a wedding gift.
A friend of theirs invited me to her wedding reception. It was unspoken, but understood, that I would take pictures there. I paid for four rolls of film. However, since the bride works for a photo lab, I thought she could get the film processed and printed free (or at a discount), so I simply gave her the rolls of film.
She had assumed that I would pay for processing the film, and now she's upset with me. I think she was expecting too much for nothing and should have been happy to pay for her own developing costs. Am I wrong? -- OHIO PHOTOGRAPHER
DEAR OHIO PHOTOGRAPHER: Unspoken messages are frequently misunderstood. Without words to clarify the details, how could either of you know what the other expected or assumed? In the future, reach an agreement (in writing) before committing to any photography assignments -- even with friends.
PROFESSIONAL JURIES VIOLATE THE SPIRIT OF OUR REPUBLIC
DEAR ABBY: The term "professional juror" is an oxymoron. A jury, by its very character, is an amateur body composed of ordinary citizens who represent a cross section of the community. As soon as the hearing body becomes "professional," it is no longer a jury.
Professional jury systems have already been tried. They have been called "special juries" or "blue ribbon panels," and the results were often disastrous and supported the tyrannies that sponsored them.
The amateur jury has a proud record. When it acts independently and is fully informed of its powers and duties, it is our strongest protector of liberty and the greatest of all defenses against oppression.
A jury of one's peers is the essence of our American constitutional republic. It is the only right of the people held in such high esteem by our Founding Fathers that it is guaranteed by three specific mentions in our Constitution, as well as secondary mentions elsewhere. A "professional" system would violate all these parts of the Constitution.
The answer to your reader's concern is not to destroy our jury system, but to require courts to show respect for jurors regarding time, compensation, etc. Contrary to popular belief, the juror is the highest-ranking official in the courtroom, for he or she is the one responsible for the verdict. -- GODFREY D. LEHMAN, SAN FRANCISCO
DEAR MR. LEHMAN: I received a slew of compelling letters (such as your own) that argue persuasively against tinkering with our jury system: Read on:
DEAR ABBY: American juries are supposed to be a group of the defendant's peers, but because most companies don't pay their employees while they serve on jury duty, most Americans cannot afford to serve in this capacity. So, "peers" turn out to be retired folks, the rich, those who cannot work for some reason, homemakers, a few who are willing to make a financial sacrifice, and those who think they can later write a book about their experiences.
There should be a law requiring companies over a certain size to reimburse employees for jury duty. Jury duty should not be a sacrifice, but a welcomed duty and an educational experience. Jurors need not be paid other than their normal salaries, and most Americans would be happy to serve their beloved country in this manner. -- SARA LOUISE NORTH, LA MESA, CALIF.
DEAR ABBY: I find the idea of "professional" jurors frightening. Part of the problem with courts seems to be their indifference to reality. Judges seem more interested in presenting new and creative interpretations of laws than in seeing that they are implemented for the good of the citizens. Lawyers select jurors who will give them the verdict they want, not necessarily a just and honest one. Courts are filled not with trial hearings, but performances designed to appeal to jurors' emotions.
However, establishing "professional" juries won't change any of this. What it will do is establish a bureaucracy that's capable of setting its own political agenda as to who goes to court. Many tyrannies have "judge panel trials" for this reason. If a panel gives too many politically incorrect verdicts, they are fired.
I remember a speech I heard as a child that was pressing for more individual participation in public affairs. The speaker said too many people were willing to "let Joe do it" when civic duties presented themselves. He reminded us that Joe's last name might very well be Stalin.
Government should be controlled by the people -- not the politicians. -- DAVID KERMES, OAKDALE, MINN.
Good advice for everyone -- teens to seniors -- is in "The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It." To order, send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)
DEAR ABBY: In a recent column a reader stated that many cannot afford to take the time to serve on a jury -- and the system is now outdated.
Abby, 60 years ago, when I was on our high school debating team, a popular subject was, "Should the present jury system be abolished?"
I believed then that our jury system should be abolished, and I certainly do now.
A panel of three judges would serve justice more efficiently, more honestly and more expeditiously. -- LOUIS C. RAVIN, M.D., BOCA RATON, FLA.
DEAR DR. RAVIN: My mail thus far is overwhelmingly critical of our present jury selection system. Read on:
DEAR ABBY: I served as a juror on 11 cases, and I will find a reason to be excused if I am ever called again. I think all jurors should be required to pass some kind of intelligence test. As it is now, the lawyer who puts on the best show is the one most jurors will agree with. -- NAMELESS IN SAN FRANCISCO
DEAR ABBY: I served on a jury twice, and I'll never serve again. In one case, one juror wanted to convict before all of the evidence was in. This is not my idea of justice. -- DISILLUSIONED
DEAR ABBY: I am all for having professional jurors. Two years ago, I was called for jury duty. I had to get up at 5 a.m. and drive 30 miles to the courthouse in another county, and then turn around and drive home every evening after dark.
I asked to be excused from one trial because it was my husband's and my anniversary. The judge told me I would have another anniversary next year.
The next juror asked to be excused because the next day was the opening of hunting season. The judge let him off! You may use my name. -- BETTY ANN CURTIS, ROGERS, ARK.
DEAR ABBY: I served two days on jury duty. I enjoyed it somewhat, but Abby, it cost me $6 each day to park and $5 for lunch. We only got paid $6 a day by the jury system.
So, adding up the lost wages plus the money I paid out for parking and lunch, I was definitely in the hole!
I say, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" to having professional jurors. -- DISGUSTED JUROR IN DALLAS
DEAR ABBY: The jury system was questionable even when there were only a few hundred colonists and they had trials by their peers. Where were the "legal findings" in a jury's decision that convicted someone of being a witch? -- ANONYMOUS IN CHICAGO
DEAR ABBY: I am 100 percent in favor of professional jurors. I look forward to my 65th birthday because it will mean no more jury duty. It was real torture. One juror didn't even know what "reasonable doubt" meant. -- HAD IT IN DALLAS
DEAR HAD IT: Perhaps prospective jurors should attend a one-day class on how to be an effective juror and then be tested to be sure they have a clear understanding of what they are expected to do.
READERS: Tomorrow we'll hear from concerned readers who argue that whatever needs fixing in our American jury system, professional juries are not the answer.
To receive a collection of Abby's most memorable -- and most frequently requested -- poems and essays, send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby's "Keepers," P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)