The power of one

Single Juror reportedly Spared Moussaoui
from The New York Times by way of the The Associated Press

"A single holdout kept the jury from handing a death sentence to Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in this country in the 9/11 attacks. ...''It was as if a heavy cloud of doom had fallen over the deliberation room, and many of us realized that all our beliefs and our conclusions were being vetoed by one person. ... We tried to discuss the pros and cons. But I would have to say that most of the arguments we heard around the deliberation table were 'in favor of the death penalty.'" Click here for the rest.

(Actually it is a different article now-- the one I used previously has disappeared. This is what now exists at the previous site. I don't know what to tell you. The internet... what are you gonna do?)

The day the verdict came out determining life instead of death, I sighed in relief. And then felt guilty for wanting the life of a terrorist spared. And then I figured out my reasons. This guy didn't do it. He didn't pilot a plane, he certainly didn't mastermind the plot. We, as a nation, want someone to pay for the pain that we all felt on September 11. And, unfortunately, everyone who was immediately responsible is dead. Moussaoui was going to be our revenge. We were going to get our pound of flesh from anyone with a funny name and a belief system unlike ours-- he happened to be the loony bird that got caught.

This article was with the jury foreman of the Zacarias Moussaoui trial. And what I find most frightening is her annoyance that the single holdout didn't announce themselves. I am also irritated by this. This poor person probably feared for his/her life. They were probably right too. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be any jury room for any life/death decision, but this one must have been horrific. The man or woman who held out and decided silence was the strongest option is a hero. He is the sole person who kept our court system from looking like a machine of revenge. It is broken, but at least it doesn't have that dubious distinction.