Excuse Me While I RantSubmitted by Charlie on Mon, 09/01/2008 - 23:17 |
So I get home from Nick's and use the button in the door to lock the doors since if I use the remote it will turn on my alarm which drains my battery.
I go inside and remember that I have clothes in my dryer so I go check them and turn it on. Somehow in the process of doing that I accidentally push the lock button on my remote.
no biggie, I'll just use the remote to unlock it then lock it using the button again and everything will be fine...
well it turns out that that lock signal was the last words of my dying remote.
It wasn't working anymore. Battery was dead.
I obviously can't get into my car and I don't feel safe walking in my neighborhood at night so I jump on my bike to ride the 3 blocks. I kid you not: THREE FUCKING BLOCKS to the Top Foods. Up until tonight I have worn my helmet EVERY time I ride. Tonight I decide to forgo it since it's such a short trip and I won't be going over 25 MPH the whole way.
2 blocks from my house I see a cop at the intersection... No worries, it's not illegal to not wear a helmet...
...Wrong
I pull in and park at Top Foods and he comes up behind me with his lights on.
"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
"No." I reply.
He explained to me that it was for my own protection and asked for my license/registration/etc... I usually keep my registration in my coat pocket (It's a flippin' motorcycle, am I supposed to keep it in the glove compartment?!?) but I had recently taken it out because it was getting all worn from being in my pocket all the time so I didn't have it.
I explained what was going on and that I was only riding my bike because I didn't feel safe walking.
To which he replied: "That was probably smart of you to not walk around at night but the people who are walking around are the same ones you should be worried about driving around."
WHAT?!
I'm no master of words (/sarcasm) but that makes no sense whatsoever!
He eventually gave me a $125 ticket for not wearing a helmet but waived the no registration.
I always feel like I'm losing a bit of my soul when I tell a policeman/woman "Thank you." after they have given me a ticket. I couldn't help but remember the line from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: "I felt raped. The pig had done me on all fronts. And now he was going off to chuckle about it on the west side of town." And all I could say was "Thank you." My cowardice bubbling to the surface as I politely let the officer "slip it in--just for a second"
I feel like the ultimate tool. I suppose it would be different if I were causing trouble or endangering someone but I honestly believe (as did John Locke) that we as a people give up certain rights and freedoms in exchange for a certain amount of security from each other and nature. NOTHING that I did tonight was endangering anyone except myself. I was in control, taking calculated risks (Since everything we do involves some degree of risk this is a concise definition of "life" in my opinion) I chose to ride my motorcycle instead of walk because there is less chance of harm riding my bike than walking the streets. I chose to take a risk in not wearing my helmet tonight knowing that the danger to myself was minimal and risk to others was nonexistent. I might even go so far as to say that there is LESS danger of an accident occurring due to the increased range of movement and visibility.
This is all begging the question: "If I am giving up my rights for security, what security am I gaining in this transaction?" Does the government have to protect us from ourselves now? Who gains from this? Why are the streets too unsafe to walk because of gangsters and thugs yet I (a productive member of society) am harassed and fined for taking a calculated risk to avoid this danger? I feel disenfranchised. This system that I work/live/play in, that takes most of my earnings (one way or another), that, according to the Social Contract I have given many of my rights to is neglecting its major responsibility and is actively choosing to pick on the very people that uphold it. I feel as if I've been paying the school bully to protect me and one day he decides to shake me down for my milk money...
..and all I can say is "Thank you".
Charlie is currently the Director of Repair at 
Awwwww, Charlie. It sounds
Awwwww, Charlie. It sounds like you had a really crappy night. What's the policy up there? Do you have to go to court or can you just mail in a check or whatever? Does this take points off of your license?
Well, anyway, sorry about your luck dude but Happy Late Birthday! :)
Thanks for the birthday
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
It is marked as a moving violation so it will go on my record and affect my insurance so I suppose I could go to court to dispute it but I'm seriously debating just sending a check. It just seems wrong that I have to choose between the hassle of going to court or throwing away $124 + the higher insurance.
That sucks. You are trading
That sucks.
You are trading your rights for the security of knowing that if you did have rights you could do something. . .
this is after all a 'free country' isn't it?
I guess I can't have my cake
I guess I can't have my cake and eat it too?
The helmet and seatbelt laws
The helmet and seatbelt laws are ridiculous. So are the drug laws (only to the extent that they regulate which drugs individuals are allowed to use). Come to think of it, the 'common law' against suicide is pretty ridiculous too. The role of laws should not be to protect people from themselves. Personally, I think we need less regulation and more education.
I recommend finding an attorney that you like and having them fight it in civil court. Isn't paying someone you like better than paying the state and rewarding them for enacting these useless laws?
--Dan
everything is a business my
everything is a business my friend and shit flows downhill.
who in the late great united states of america is satisfied with the political system? and to whom is the poltico accountable to. no one. to both. it is an endless cycle of "you jack me off and i'll jack you" between lobbyists and special interest groups and the never ending campaign trail. the elected no longer represent the the vast ignorant electorate and substance gets lost in the endless maze of red tape.
"Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
-Mark Twain
how then can you reasonably expect the subordinates of these ruling depraved, not to mimic the motions of the masters. now, it is about the process rather than the reason for the process. perhapse the apostle paul outlined it best when he exhorted the galations to seek the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law. but in this day in age, those who rule would rather prey on the convienient than to analyze who the real criminals are- enter the american condition (just do a half assed job). plus, there is a whole lot of money to be made off the "convienient". and so the circle jerk continues.
hey, it is good business.....
@bmoney There is an old Czech
@bmoney
There is an old Czech proverb that says: "The big thieves hang the little ones."
I think you hit the nail on the head so to speak. This is actually a perspective of the topic I wanted to bring up. Let's take what you said out of theory and put it into context with this situation:
I asked in my post, "Who gains from this?" and you answered it perfectly. Who really cares if I wear my helmet? Who cares if I fall and my head pops open like a melon? Furthermore, who cares AND has the political affiliations and lobbying power to make a law?
Insurance companies.
This is a double-win for them:
a) It makes me wear a helmet thus decreasing the chances that they have to pay out on a claim.
b) It is marked as a moving violation so they are now justified in charging me more for my insurance.
When did it become an unspoken prerequisite for lawmakers to be fundamentally dishonest? Why do people have to go to school for 6-8 years just to understand the workings of our legal system? While those most adept at double-speak and two-faced eloquence are voted into office by a very apathetic majority. When did we lose faith in America? And nobody can say it's because George W. It's been happening before that. Something needs to change here my friends.
Look for a new post shortly concerning the "ignorant electorate" or as I've deemed them: "The Political Agnostics"
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