dimondites

The State announced plans to eradicate a potential moth problem by spraying pesticide over San Francisco, Marin and the East Bay, starting as early as June, 2008.  This process will take five years to complete.

Only once has this pesticide been used in a populated environment.  600 people from Monterey and Santa Cruz have filed complaints of allergic reactions during and immediately after exposure in September-December. [SFgate.com]

The spraying is a preventative measure to avoid a potential agricultural disaster, not an actual extermination of an existing problem. I actually agree with this strategy.  

Invasion of the Brown Apple Moth can be so devastating, it has been described to be like cancer - it can silently invade, spread, metastasize, then kill. By the time you realize you have a problem, it’s either too late or close to it. If left ignored, the problem can result in damages in the range of $133 million.

California, especially the Bay Area, is at high risk because these darn things like to dwell in oak, willow, walnut, poplar, cottonwood alder and pine trees. Guess what? The first moth was discovered in Alameda County. Nice.

The trees are not the main concern, by the way.  The larvae will eat anything. Name it, they’ll devour it. Do these larvae favorites sound familiar to you? Alder, alfalfa, apple, apricot, avocado, beans, caneberries (blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry), cabbage, camellia, chrysanthemum, citrus, clover, cole crops, eucalyptus, grape, jasmine, kiwifruit, peach, pear, persimmon, plantain, pumpkin, strawberry, tomato, rose and zea mays (corn). [UC Davis Department of Entomology]

Because I agree with the strategy does not mean I agree with the action. Preventing this moth infestation is the right thing to do. However, the lack of research to validate the pesticide’s effect on human is a real concern. Seriously, we’ve managed to walk on the moon (years and years ago), but we can’t manage to study a pesticide’s health risk before we spray it on people? Lots and lots of people? It’s a bit ridiculous.

A bit off topic, but I can’t help mentioning. Guess why they’re having real trouble identifying these moths? Apparently many of our entomologists have retired or died, and there is a lack of trained experts to replace them. Now, that is just sad. 

Does the thought of a forced pesticide shower bother you? Well, you can voice your opinion by signing a petition to ‘stop fumigation of citizens without their consent’ at the Care2 Petition Site.

This is the final post to my Jury Duty sequel. Posts Jury Duty 1 and Jury Duty 2 were all about how to get out of jury duty. I can give you a good reason, but it won’t matter. Most of us believe all reasons are good reasons - anything to avoid being stuck with an asbestos case.

Something very surprising happened on this day.

I changed my mind. It was the first time I actually wanted jury duty. But not any jury, THIS jury.

It wasn’t until I was walking out of the courthouse when I realized it took only mere minutes for me to judge and condemn the defendant, before a trial was even scheduled. I had very ugly thoughts. I hated him. I was disgusted and angry. I was equally angry with our judicial system. How was it possible that this man was finally being tried for crimes committed over a three-year period? Would Jane Does 2, 3 and 4 have different lives now if he had been convicted after the first crime?

At that very moment, I also realized I was not qualified to be a juror, and I would have been rejected within seconds. My eyes would have given me away. Here was when I developed a new opinion of our judicial system - it’s not perfect, but it’s not all bad either. Preventing me from being on the juror would have been the right thing to do. (I was dismissed for self-employment reasons.)

What happened? Why the change of heart? Why the certain rage?

Because this man in front of me was on trial for the following accusations beginning in 2003:

Jane Doe 1

Robbery with weapon
Armed with dangerous of deadly weapon
Victim bounded and tied
Sexual penetration with foreign object
Sexual penetration by force
Forcible oral copulation

Jane Doe 2

Forced oral copulation
Kidnapping and movement of victim
Robbery armed with dangerous or deadly weapon
Forcible rape

Jane Doe 3

Forcible rape
Kidnapping of person
Second degree robbery
Forcible oral copulation

Jane Doe 4

Forcible oral copulation
Kidnapping of person
Forcible Rape
Second degree Robbery

I couldn’t write fast enough, so there are missing charges to the above list. I was literally shocked when I heard the charges, and my mouth kept dropping at every other sentence. I must have looked like a fish gulping for air. How was it possible that there were four victims over three years, and this was the first trial for all the crimes? I don’t have the answer, but I have some faith that the reason was great. Maybe the case was not strong enough? Maybe Jan Does 2, 3 and 4 came forward late? Not enough evidence for Jane Does 1 or 2?  

Regardless, I learned something valuable that day. I was(am) appreciative that our system blocks jurors like myself from cases like this one. I did not believe he was innocent until proven guilty. I guess there is a lady of justice after all.

_{Photo by MacBuckley}

Reader Comments (1)

06.10.2007 | Frank

My dad never got on juries—he had been both a cop and a social worker in the same town; so prosecutors and defense attorneys alike thought he was biased.

My wife, a foreign national, got called and the Alameda Co. jury duty form actually makes you prove you’re a foreigner (with a copy of your passport or greencard) in order to get out of it.

I think my recent blog about how much I hate police-hating lawyers will disqualify me from any juries in the future.