"Motorhead Lawyer" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Cory Dunkle wrote:
> >
> <SNIP>
>
> You broke several of my well-publicized rules of behavior.
>
> First, you did a Dumb Thing in front of a cop. You *should be* old
> enough and smart enough to know what power through puddles can do. If
> not, go back and learn it. Whatever you do, don't try justifying it.
> You screwed up.

Okay, a puddle I can't see I should apparently know is there to not
accelerate with so much throttle. Right, that makes a lot of sense. By the
time the tire spun I was through the puddle, it chirped and I was going on
with getting moving.

> Second, you *Acted Guilty*. Never pull over voluntarily until the
> disco lights are on in your mirror and the cop is clearly *staying
> behind you*. If you'd simply driven on down the street nicely, he
> might have changed his mind - but you'll never know now. If *you* pull
> over first, *he's* gotta pull over (to see what's up) unless he's in a
> hurry to get somewhere else.

I'm not stupid. I know when a cop is going to stop me. As the tire chirped I
saw the cop slowing for the light and had a feeling he was gonna give me a
hard time over it. I checked my mirror and he was turning around so I
stopped. Of course if I was driving an econo-box I wouldn't have even
bothered checking on waht the cop was doing. He most likely wouldn't have
thought anything of it had I been driving an econo-box or if it was
soccer-mom in her minivan with the kids. It's called profiling. The cop had
a prejudice against me because I was driving a car with a V8, a louder
exhaust, and is from the '60s. it doesn't matter that it's a family car with
a small block that isn't very fast and takes a lot of coaxing to spin the
tires. Anyhow, I'm not gonna go on and pretend to be oblivious to what
happened when a cop is obviously going to stop me. I'm going to find a
suitable place to stop and wait for him.

> Third, you tried to argue at the scene. That's neither the time nor
> the place. If you want to argue, that's what courts are for.

At the least I am going to explain to the cop what happened, which is what I
did. It bothered me when he showed me no respect.

> Fourth, you started an argument over your 'guilt' when the offer was a
> *good deal*. The officer was trying to give you a break and you
> essentially jumped down his throat for it. Really *really* stupid.

The cop offered me no "*good deal*". He knew as well as I did that careless
driving would be a totally BS ticket that wouldn't stand up in court. I have
pictures of the intersection in case it comes to that. If anything I'd be
just as well with the careless driving ticket as I highly doubt it would
hold up in court. The seatbelt ticekt will probably be a pain in the ass to
fight.

> Now, you want to *fight* the 'easy-way-out' ticket you got because you
> didn't *really* do that? Well, DUH! You've never seen Eric Idle going
> "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" on Python? If you *ever* want to get to the
> point where you get the breaks you think you deserve, you'd better
> learn to *recognize them*!

This is not a "break". I did nothing wrong, and nothing unsafe, and I highly
doubt anything illegal either. I'd love to see the law that says it's
illegal to briefly spin your tire on wet pavement.

> Had you explained your loss of traction (as you did) and *apologized*
> for what you did (instad of trying to justify it as OK), you might not
> have even gotten the seatbelt cite.

Not so. The cop didn't want to hear any of it. He was clearly prejudiced and
nothing I could have said would change his mind.

> So basically, you talked yourself out of a break and into trouble.
> You're beginning to give 'young and stupid' a bad name.

What it comes down to it that I'm innocent. I did nothing careless or
dangerous. Why should I have to jump through hoops and play games when I am
innocent? I was polite from the start. I stopped without him having to come
barreling after me, pulled into a parking spot so as not to be in a
dangerous spot as most morons stop in or have him have to get out in the
street, and was polite all the way until the point where he disrespected me
after I explained what happened. He gave me the ticket before he gave me a
chance to explain what happened. Regardless, what's done is done. The cop
had a prejudice and he gave me a ticket for something I didn't even do. So
be it. I have a witness, so fighting it should be that much easier.

Cory