The Genius of Mr. T

B.A. Baracus (a.k.a. "Clubber Lang"; a.k.a. "Mr.T"; a.k.a "Laurence Tureaud") made headlines yesterday when he arrived for jury duty in Chicago.

During his time at the courthouse, Mr. T posed for pictures with "other potential jurors, county employees–and the family of the defendant in the case…"

Mr.T was a quotable goldmine. Observe:

• "It's not about 'The A-Team;' it's the J-Team–the jury team."

• "You've got to testify! Tell somebody about it. God is good!" he told an admirer as he tried to leave the building. "I pity the fool that don't get it.

• "If you're innocent, I'm your best man…But if you're guilty, I pity that fool."

Mr. T should consider the day hamming it up as time well spent. It was free press. More importantly, he was excused from jury duty.

A case could be made, however, that jury duty is better than parodying yourself in a John Cena rap video:

 

Back in 2007, Mateusz Machaj at the Mises Institute said the " 'A-Team' Stands for Anarcho-Capitalism." Besides Mr. T, Reason Columnist Steve Chapman has another good case for making jury duty anonymous. In 1995, Friend-o-Reason Walter Olson looked at juries on trial. Former Reason Editor Virginia Postrel said the culture has created jurors who lack conviction, in a 1994 piece.

High Five: The Chicagoist