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What jury duty with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson was like
World Tribune ^ | December 14, 2016 | Emily Roden

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.”


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: tillerson; trumpcabinet; trumpenergy; trumptransition
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To: Artemis Webb
This speaks volumes.

Obviously why it appears in the New York Times and Washington Post ...
61 posted on 12/18/2016 5:12:59 PM PST by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.)
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To: Albion Wilde

I know many voters who cast their vote for Mike Pence even though Donald Trump was a package deal


62 posted on 12/18/2016 5:39:41 PM PST by Oz8509338511 (2 Chron. 7:14)
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To: VanShuyten

I searched online to prove this article was false, which I suspected it was. After an exhausting 90 second effort at Bing, it seems to be legit? Good.


63 posted on 12/18/2016 6:11:10 PM PST by PilotDave (No, really, you just can't make this stuff up!!!)
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To: PilotDave

It could be real.

After all the Moonies started The Washington Times, and that’s a reputable paper.


64 posted on 12/18/2016 7:12:50 PM PST by VanShuyten ("a shadow...draped nobly in the folds of a gorgeous eloquence.")
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To: billorites

Thanks for posting this thread! It certainly provides some insight to Rex.


65 posted on 12/18/2016 9:56:10 PM PST by octex
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To: neocon1984

Sorry, read post 54.


66 posted on 12/19/2016 6:22:28 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: Neoliberalnot

So, how’s the weather there in Westboro?


67 posted on 12/19/2016 10:27:18 AM PST by DPMD (o)
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To: DPMD

Sorry if I offended your homophilia. I have a fair amount of training and experience in public health. These leads me to understand that male queers vector the highest incidence of infectious diseases to innocent people, especially to young boys. I do not favor the westboro approach to insulting our military personnel—their movement is supported by the left to make Christians look bad while engendering acceptable accomadations to your pervert friends.


68 posted on 12/19/2016 10:35:55 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: Neoliberalnot

Animus as intense as yours doesn’t come naturally, but gets taught. As the westboro maniacs use scripture to justify their bile, so I suspect your “fair amount of …training and experience in public health” is the hook on which you hang your own mental poison. Tillerman, seemingly a man of moderate temperament toward his fellow man would be better suited psychologically to be in a position of governance that one burdened with such crippling venom aimed at an entire human subset and claiming education as its rationalization.


69 posted on 12/20/2016 3:49:26 PM PST by DPMD (o)
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To: DPMD

Right, I tracked the young boys they infected in Ca. These boys are not just infected with sometimes deadly viruses but they are mentally scarred for life by these perverts. Perhaps you might feel more compassion for the kids if one belonged to you.


70 posted on 12/20/2016 7:22:18 PM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: Neoliberalnot

You assume too much, and wrongly, is suggesting I feel no compassion. Be very careful; you know nothing about me.


71 posted on 12/22/2016 10:45:21 AM PST by DPMD (o)
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To: DPMD; manc; bert; little jeremiah; savagesusie

I know your stance on the homosexual agenda; the agenda that has driven millions of Christians away from churches and ruined the lives of millions more. Do you know NAMBLA?


72 posted on 12/22/2016 1:41:12 PM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: Neoliberalnot

Like Sgt. Schultz, know nothing remotely resembling your claim. You’ve taken great, but transparent, liberties in wrongly extrapolating my mind from the suggestion that Rex Tillerman - our original topic you have tried to hijack - might do okay as SoS. I’ve known similar one-trick obsessives on both sides who can’t see the world except through one narrow lens, and they all share the same faux bravado of implicit epithets to anyone not equally obsessive. NAMBLA? Nice try.


73 posted on 12/23/2016 9:18:10 AM PST by DPMD (o)
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To: DPMD; manc; bert

Yep, I have always been a defender of children, even those evil BSA for keeping out the same sex queers that only want to help. Which side was tillerman on? I wrote from the start that anybody siding with the sex offenders is unfit to serve.


74 posted on 12/24/2016 5:25:09 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: Neoliberalnot

Your thoughts are fallacious

There are no 11 year old queers


75 posted on 12/24/2016 5:31:07 AM PST by bert (K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... Macroagression melts snowflakes)
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To: bert

I am referring to the scout leaders Bert.


76 posted on 12/24/2016 5:33:50 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: VanShuyten
After all the Moonies started The Washington Times, and that’s a reputable paper.

And the son of the Moonie's founder founded the KAHR firearms group......

77 posted on 12/24/2016 6:06:00 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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