HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-07-18 Public Comment - S. Keuch - Response to Jury Status To: Judge John Brown,Gallatin County District Court Judge
To: Judge Karl Seel,Bozeman Municipal Court Judge
To: Chris Mehl,Deputy Mayor of Bozeman
To: Michelle Westberg, Chief Clerk,Bozeman Municipal Court
Re:Response to enclosed letter regarding my jury status
Fr: Steven M.Keuch
Date: December 7,2018(a day of reflection)
I've read the enclosed letter concerning my status as a potential juror for the 2018-19 period;no
inconvenience was experienced. However,I would like to take this opportunity to briefly share my
thoughts on the letter's ambiguity;thoughts as feedback to reflect upon,not to be taken as criticism.
The enclosed letter begins with,"We...." The word(we)denotes plurality, in other words,more than one
with two being the fewest("We")could represent. Since there's one signature,Ms Westberg's,one would
assume Ms Westberg has agreed to represent the remaining person(s)included in the("We")and
this/these remaining person(s)also gave his/her/their consent for Ms Westberg to do so. Because an
apposition,a grammatical construction identifying/clarifying a subject/noun/etc,was not used,the reader
is left to assume who,other than Ms.Westberg,belongs to the subject("We"). The first sentence in the
preamble to our US Constitution serves as a great example of an apposition; "We the people of the
United States..."so great an example,one could conclude, since our form of government is a Democratic
Republic,Ms Westberg,Chief Clerk,represents the people of Bozeman,MT via Bozeman Municipal
Court. Therefore,the opening statement to Ms Westberg's letter may be understood as,We the people of
Bozeman,MT... Let's proceed with this clarification of("We...").
"We the people of Bozeman,MT are pleased...." The affirmation/positive assertion("We are pleased..."),
creates confusion for the reader on several points for your consideration. First,the word"pleased"is a
subjective emotion(opinion),demonstrating a sense of pleasure/satisfaction relating to a given situation
or final outcome;How is this relevant to the letter's objective? Second,if"We are In eased to inform you
that you will not be called for jury service....."then,it would stand to reason,"We,"would be displeased
with the antithesis of this situation/decision inferring the following; We the people of Bozeman,MT are
displeased to inform you that you will be called for jury service.... Third,How was the consensus of the
"We are In eased..."ascertained/obtained;was a survey of the("We")conducted? Fourth,An assumption
the recipient of this letter would also be pleased was incorrectly inferred. Ms Westberg's exordium,
opening statement,"We are pleased," fails to give credence/credibility to the letter's objective.
I will use words of Khalil Gibran(1883-1931)for my"exordium"(establishing credibility/ethos)to
clarify my fourth point. These words of Mr. Gibran were introduced to the world when President John F.
Kennedy proclaimed/affirmed them in his 1961 inauguration speech. These memorable/momentous
words are,
"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your county."
Back Paae
The year was 1969. I was a high school freshman attending US Civics class when I first read Mr.
Gibran's instructive words. Considering the political atmosphere of the day,these two sentences
stimulated/dominated our classroom discussions for days, and for some,myself included,these
discussions became a"rite of passage"to adulthood.
Upon graduating from high school,I revisited/reflected upon Mr. Gibran's words and enlisted in the US
Navy(1974-1978);under a specific contract to serve the medical department. I was stationed in Naples,
Italy(surgical/delivery room tech). After graduating from UofMT I volunteered to serve in the US Peace
Corps 1988-89 Sri Lanka; Teaching high school English to both Sinhalese/Tamil students. The US did an
outstanding job maintaining neutrality,allowing students of both factions(Sinhalese/Tamil)to
reason/discuss their civil conflict;via a common language. I became a Public Elementary School teacher
1989-2006: Heart Butte,MT, Sussex School Missoula,MT. Barrow,AK, and Point Lay,AK where I
enjoyed teaching the joy of Reading/Writing and Industrial Arts. As you can see,I do not have an
aversion to public service,but rather I enter public service with eyes open. I'm saddened/displeased I
cannot,in good faith,fully perform duties of a juror for reasons listed in my affidavit. I'm also
saddened/displeased I was refused(without reason/explanation)the opportunity to serve on Bozeman's
Ethics Board.
Suggestions/kudos for Ms Westberg's letter: 1.Remove the first seven words of the first sentence;
revised letter would begin,"You will not be called for jury service....." 2.The second sentence; change
"an"to"any"eliminate"but"and everything after(already stated in first sentence). I appreciate the
apology,Thanks! 3. Third sentence;remove"you can"(not needed). Yes, it's always important to keep
the"door opened." 4.As for credibility,never forget you earned the opportunity to represent the citizens
of Bozeman,MT,can't get more credible than that.
Respectfully,
Steve .Keuch,member of Bozeman's constituency
Bozeman Municipal Court
615 South 16th Avenue, Suite 123
Bozeman, MT 59715
Dept. A (406) 582-2040 Dept. B
Honorable Karl P. Seel Fax (406) 582-2041 Honorable J. Colleen Herrington
Municipal Judge municipal_court@bozeman.net
11/19/2018
STEVEN MICHAEL KEUCH
502 NORTH 1 OTH
BOZEMAN, MT 59715
Dear STEVEN MICHAEL KEUCH ;
We are pleased to inform you that you will not be called for jury service with the Bozeman
Municipal Court for the October 2018 through September 2019 term.
Due to an error when merging files for printing, your name was mistakenly added to the 2018
mailing. I apologize for an inconvenience this may have caused but you will not be called to
serve this next year in the Municipal Court.
If you have any questions about this notice you can contact Leslie at 582-2040 option 3.
Respectfully,
" wed
Michelle Westberg
Chief Clerk