Saturday, September 17, 2011

When Bringing A Terrorist Book to Jury Duty

Much of this stuff on terrorism is quite depressing, given the anywhere anytime nature of the enterprise. So I wanted to add just a dash of humor into the fray. Last August, I was summoned for the great American civic activity of jury duty that serves as a microcosm of life. Your given a tiny stipend somewhere between $9 and $12 to pay for parking and a bite to eat…unfortunately after parking and the price of a decent meal that isn’t charcoaled to the point of needing a food appraiser to determine what it may have been in some past life…you discover that you’ve earned -9 dollars.

As your made to sit there for long periods of time…a book is a good idea, though I don’t recommend the Al Qaeda Reader as you can apparently get thrown off airplanes for reading that on a flight. So what’s a guy like me supposed to read in the long drawn out seat cushion smashing contest that jury duty turns into? I went safe and chose The Mind of The Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism From the IRA to Al Qaeda by Jerrold M. Post- an enlightening look at what motivates terrorist groups to do the things they do. It’s the perfect book because it brands you as serious and opens a conversation topic, while not painting you as a terrorist sympathetic whack job.

No comments:

Post a Comment