Posted on 12/18/2016 6:40:56 AM PST by billorites
“Nine years ago, I showed up to the Denton County Courthouse for jury duty and got myself picked for the job. A young girl had accused her mom’s boyfriend of sexual assault and the case was being brought to trial. If you’ve ever served on a jury trial before, you understand the almost immediate, yet very temporary bond that ties 12 strangers together who are randomly chosen from each of their private lives in order to fulfill a very solemn public purpose.
One of our first tasks was to choose our jury foreman. Perhaps it was his business suit, his impressive stature, or his charisma, but almost everyone in that jury room suggested that this middle-aged man with greying hair was likely the most fit for the task.
‘Thanks, but I decline. I’m not interested in the spotlight,’ he told us. I didn’t think anything of it.
I had just bought my first BlackBerry and used my breaks to catch up on all the emails I was missing from my week at the courthouse. I recall leaving the jury room on a break with this man and remarking how busy I was and how much work I had to do. He smiled as he sat and read the paper.
From the first day of jury selection, we all noticed another suited man always present in the courtroom. His presence was intriguing due to the ear piece in his ear. While grabbing lunch at Denton County Independent Hamburger on the square the 2nd day of the trial, we noticed this mysterious man dining with our fellow juror who declined the foreman spot. The intrigue grew and it was the talk of the jury – who were these men?
Finally, during a break in the jury room, one juror had the nerve to ask; ‘Who are you? And what do you do?’
Our fellow jury member was reading the paper again and pointed out an article with Exxon in the headlines.
‘I work for them,’ he said humbly. ‘There are a lot of people in this world who hate me for what I do, so they give me and my family guys like that to protect me.’
I immediately felt embarrassed for complaining to him the other day about how much work I had to do. It didn’t take long before a few internet searches revealed that I was serving on this jury with the CEO of Exxon Mobile, Rex Tillerson.
The trial concluded and it was time for the jury to deliberate. The story was heartbreaking and the facts of the case were clear enough to make the majority of the jury convinced of the guilt of this sexual offender of a little girl. But the defense did a good enough job to create a couple of hold-outs. As our deliberations came to a close, it appeared we might have a hung jury.
That’s when Mr. Tillerson began to speak. Humbly, delicately, and without an ounce of condescension toward those who disagreed, he began walking us all through the details of the case. I even recall being moved by his thorough explanation about the nature of doubt and the standards set forth by our justice system. With great patience, this man who strikes multi-billion dollar deals with foreign heads of state brought our scrappy jury together to bring a sexual predator to justice and to deliver justice for a scared and deeply wounded little girl.
A local nonprofit was instrumental in fostering that young girl through this process, providing her counseling and legal help. I was so struck by their mission that I toured their facility the week following the case in order to learn how I could donate and volunteer to their cause.
On a whim, I decided to reach out to Mr. Tillerson to encourage him to do the same. I found an email for him online and sent him a note, touting the role this agency played in our trial and urging him to consider supporting the great work that they do. To my surprise, I received an email back thanking me for my note, my jury service, and ensuring me that he would contact the agency. I later received a call from the director of that nonprofit to let me know that Mr. Tillerson followed-through and gave a generous donation.
I didn’t vote for Trump. This is not an endorsement of Mr. Tillerson for Secretary of State. I’m sure that the coming days and weeks will be filled with speculation and political discussion over this clearly controversial pick for Secretary of State. I certainly appreciate those concerns and the process that ensures significant scrutiny for this important position.
But during a news show tonight, I heard the term ‘corrupt’ applied to this man who I spent five days with back in 2007.
All I know is that this man holds one of the most powerful positions in the world and clearly has the means and ability to side step his jury responsibilities, served as a normal citizen without complaint or pretense. I know that a scared little girl who was finally convinced to come public with her account of abuse was inches away from a decision that would have sided with her abuser, yet this man put his negotiation skills to a very noble use and justice was served. All I know is that this man and his myriad of aides could have ignored an unsolicited email from a girl in her 20s suggesting that he donate to a local cause, but he took the time to respond and opened up his pocket book.
My five days with Rex Tillerson is all I know about this man and his character. And in light of the recent news, I thought this a relevant story to tell.”
This is what IRKS me about the megaphone that the LEFT and their willing lackeys of the MSM are DOING NOW! They are doing the 3 ‘D’s of Deny, Deprecate and Destroy just because they have a ‘R’ as President. This young woman helps show that the miasma of evil attributed to any non-LEFTIST, especially if they are rich or in a position of power, may be way out of line!
Good for her to write this but note that it is highly probable that it will never see any reprint or inclusion in the MSM Journals of record. NYTimes and WashPost will treat this as the equivalent of ‘holy water’ being sprayed at a vampire.
Maybe not; there were other options. Not all the facts are in.
But does he have the personal integrity to set aside his personal views and do the job the president assigns him?
Sign the front of enough payroll checks, and you get pretty good at that.
“How does that pertain to his role as SOS? “
Don’t see so much his role as SoS being affected but he is the 4th in the line of presidential succession.
My guess is we would find stories like this on most of Trump’s appointees.
This is something people need to realize about Trump. He always surrounds himself with the best and brightest, but not those who always agree with him.
That’s why I don’t worry too much about the stories of this man being involved in getting gays into the boy scouts. Yes, that bothers me, but Trump is not going to appoint anyone who is not entirely on board with his policies and principles - stop the corruption, end insane spending, cut taxes, secure the border - but I don’t think he will tolerate any “yes men”.
Look at Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani. Both have spoken out in public against Trump’s comments and policies at times, and are both still in the closest circle of Trump supporters. Kellyanne Conway spoke out against Mitt Romney and asked Trump if she could do so, he said go ahead. Would Obama do that? Hillary? Anyone named Bush? I doubt it.
Trump wants people who have opposing viewpoints, he wants them to speak up, and he listens...then makes up his own mind.
This is why I may not agree with some of his appointments, I have to trust his instincts, which are uncanny, and I think we’re looking at a period in history almost on par with the period George Washington lived through. We’ll see a transformation of government that I’ve wanted to see for 30 years, heads will roll, changes will be made for the better, and we, the people, will have someone in the White House who speaks for us and actually listens to us for the first time in at least 50 years.
As SoS, I think Tillerson is probably a very good choice. He knows how to handle himself in a diplomatic situation with foreign leaders, knows many of them already so he’s already in good standing and won’t have to establish communications, it’s already there. IF they have seen this side of him, and I bet they have, they already know he’s a straight shooter.
Will he set aside business interests and work for the country instead? I think he will. Trump probably requires it.
She must have voted with her female parts....NOT her brain or her recollections of that jury duty.
Were the Boy Scouts about to be sued out of existence if they didn’t allow the gays?
That would have produced exactly what???
This is a great example of fake news that the Slimes and the Compost will properly not report on.
Perhaps she was speaking of her Primary vote? I met many folks in my work at the local GOP HQ; who had supported another in the Primary but worked hard for the entire ticket afterward.
The lawsuit against the BSA was already rejected by SCOTUS. So to answer your question, no, the boy scouts were not about to be sued out of existence.
From WIKI:
Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640 (2000), was a case of the Supreme Court of the United States decided on June 28, 2000, that held that the constitutional right to freedom of association allows a private organization like the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to exclude a person from membership when “the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group’s ability to advocate public or private viewpoints.”[1] In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court ruled that opposition to homosexuality is part of BSA’s “expressive message” and that allowing homosexuals as adult leaders would interfere with that message.[2] It reversed a decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court that had determined that New Jersey’s public accommodations law required the BSA to readmit assistant Scoutmaster James Dale, who had made his homosexuality public and whom the BSA had expelled from the organizatio
Tillerson was instrumental in pushing the Boy Scouts to accept sodomites as members. Because of that, he has shown himself to be in full support of the homosexual agenda and is in my opinion, UNQUALIFIED for any leadership position.””
Yes, he was and is a big supporter of the queers and coprophiles, not to mention the same sex pedophiles. Clearly being a supporter of sex offenders puts Tillerson in the disgusting category.
Figure it out.
Anyone supporting death of the defenseless and the samesex-offenders is unfit to hold office. The queers and the Muslims are the two major forces that have been attacking Christians for decades. Are you aware?
In other words, you have a mouth to make statements, but no brain to make arguments.
Maybe she was a Bernie voter who then didn't vote for president. Too bad her conservative education is still incomplete; but at least she is halfway there.
Ping for index
Wow..Rex will be one of our greatest Secretary of State. Great article.
I'll settle for 'good.'
I'll be happy with 'decent.'
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