So, Which do You Get?
I was in a fender bender yesterday. It could've been very serious. The guy that hit me was doing everything he could to keep from killing several families, all because someone up in front of us did something stupid. So I'm looking at my van and thinking, what the hell? I even tell the guy that all we have to do is exchange insurance info. I'll pay my deductible, he can pay his, and we'll live a good life.
But he wants to call the cops. He wasn't from Springfield. I told him not to. I told him, "Dude, if you call the cops, they will write you a ticket." He says, "Why would they write me a ticket?" And I said, "Because you hit me." To which he replies, "But I had no choice." And I said, "It won't matter." So he called the cops. And they wrote him a ticket.
In the process, we were both trying to talk the cop out of giving this guy a ticket, and the cop gets hateful with both of us. Go figure. Thank you Officer Friendly.
So, after this encounter, I'm thinking of two different cop stories. One happened when I had two very small children riding with me in an old '72 AMC station wagon. I had just purchased a new screen door for my house and was heading home when the entire door flew out of the back of the station wagon in the middle of an intersection. I got the door back in, miraculously unbroken, but in the process my car ran out of gas. I was trying to walk to the gas station with a 4 year old and a 2 year old when a cop came by and picked us all up. He took me and my kids to the station, and then, after I had bought the gas, took us back to the car. Then he waited until I got it going again. That was such a great experience, especially for my kids.
But then there's Darcy. Darcy is a very good friend of mine. He happens to be of colour. No one's really sure what colour Darcy is, but he's definitely not white. His wild, bushy hair and funky beard don't help any. So Darcy is going down the road and gets pulled over because he has a tail light burned out, or something equally as stupid. Even though Darcy was fully cooperative, they ended up beating him and hauling him off to jail. Trust me, it had nothing to do with Darcy, who is one of the most honest, gentle souls I know. He just happens to look like... well... someone who doesn't teach at MSU or own his own recording studio. His only real crime? Trying to be pleasant. Cops don't like smart asses.
So the thing is, I know there are good cops out there. I've met them. And I know there are bad cops out there too. Like the one I met on Sunday. Like the 10 or so Darcy got to know very well. But the problem is, how do you know which is which? I mean, they don't wear name badges. You know, like Asshole 1st Class. And that leaves only one choice: Don't trust any of them. Which is a shame. I'm just glad my kids are grown.
But he wants to call the cops. He wasn't from Springfield. I told him not to. I told him, "Dude, if you call the cops, they will write you a ticket." He says, "Why would they write me a ticket?" And I said, "Because you hit me." To which he replies, "But I had no choice." And I said, "It won't matter." So he called the cops. And they wrote him a ticket.
In the process, we were both trying to talk the cop out of giving this guy a ticket, and the cop gets hateful with both of us. Go figure. Thank you Officer Friendly.
So, after this encounter, I'm thinking of two different cop stories. One happened when I had two very small children riding with me in an old '72 AMC station wagon. I had just purchased a new screen door for my house and was heading home when the entire door flew out of the back of the station wagon in the middle of an intersection. I got the door back in, miraculously unbroken, but in the process my car ran out of gas. I was trying to walk to the gas station with a 4 year old and a 2 year old when a cop came by and picked us all up. He took me and my kids to the station, and then, after I had bought the gas, took us back to the car. Then he waited until I got it going again. That was such a great experience, especially for my kids.
But then there's Darcy. Darcy is a very good friend of mine. He happens to be of colour. No one's really sure what colour Darcy is, but he's definitely not white. His wild, bushy hair and funky beard don't help any. So Darcy is going down the road and gets pulled over because he has a tail light burned out, or something equally as stupid. Even though Darcy was fully cooperative, they ended up beating him and hauling him off to jail. Trust me, it had nothing to do with Darcy, who is one of the most honest, gentle souls I know. He just happens to look like... well... someone who doesn't teach at MSU or own his own recording studio. His only real crime? Trying to be pleasant. Cops don't like smart asses.
So the thing is, I know there are good cops out there. I've met them. And I know there are bad cops out there too. Like the one I met on Sunday. Like the 10 or so Darcy got to know very well. But the problem is, how do you know which is which? I mean, they don't wear name badges. You know, like Asshole 1st Class. And that leaves only one choice: Don't trust any of them. Which is a shame. I'm just glad my kids are grown.
posted by The Holy Grail Press at 7:58 PM
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