>Jack,
>
>So what gives?
>Did someone from Va. once piss on your Wheaties & you've never forgiven
>them?
>
Actually , it was Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch , and no I can't forgive them
, it was my last bowl .
>" States like Virginia make me sick . They would rather have people
>starving, drug dealers dealing , murderers murdering , rapists raping , etc ,
> than to let someone get away without paying a speeding fine " - Jack, I
>usually respect your opinions & you have very good input to the discussions,
>but this is the most ludicrous piece of B.S. I've seen in a LONG time.
>
>Yeah right, Va. has all these bad things going on just because they don't
>allow Radar Detectors & the cops are too busy busting speeders?! All those
>other states, with their Rader detecting drivers are nirvana then I guess,
>no drugs? no rape? no murder?
>
That is not what I meant . I said "States like VA..." . I did not single VA
out , but I merely stated a fact of the area of VA that I frequent .
No , other states that allow radar detectors are not "nirvana" , as a
matter of fact , any state that focuses as heavily on revenue from speeding
tickets as THE AREA OF VA THAT I OFTEN GO TO , is pathetic . Many of these
areas are in fact on I-75 in GA , usually in South GA , but I have never
personally had a problem with them . I was trying to point out that while
municipalities concentrate so much on making money , under the guise of
"safe driving" , that there are much more important things going on around
us that need that attention . Once again , no , not just VA . What I
believe is that by making radar detectors illegal , the Commonwealth (not a
state) of VA is for all intents and purposes advertising that they are in
it for the money , not the general public's safety . They don't want you to
have any "slight advantage" or buffer at all because they want to know for
sure that there is no way that you can slip out of it . I am not trying to
slam anyone's home state , and if I did , then I appologize .
What I was slamming was the apparent disregard for the true crimes of this
day .
Am I saying that cops shouldn't stop some idiot zipping in and out of
traffic at over 90+ ? No , of course not .That's just plain stupid .
Am I saying that it is a waste of time to stop a guy doing 75 or 80 in a 55
or 60 MPH zone with zero to light traffic ? Yes , without a doubt .
At no time did I ever state that it was always a cops descision to pull
people over and make the laws .
My problem is with the people that make the laws in the first place .
>I've lived in Va. most of my life & haven't felt that my rights to freedom
>or liberty have been infringed upon.
So you don't think that sayin thepublic has no right to be aware of when it
is being monitored is an infringement on your Constitutional rights ?
I guess that if the state of VA said that they were going to start
monitoring when you were at home and when you were not and that you were
not allowed to know when they were and when they weren't , that that would
not be an infringement either ?
What if they said that they were keeping track of every phone call you were
making and to whom and that you were not allowed to know when they were
doing this ? Would this be OK too ?
I know this all makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist and very paranoid
, but where is the line drawn ? What is the next logical progression ? Who
is to say "well , we can violate this right , but we cannot violate this
one because people would be way too mad." ?
I've had the dubious honor of being
>pulled for a number of traffic violations, all around the country & Va. cops
>(local or State) are no different then any other cop. Same basic equation
>applies, you get back what you give out!
True , and as a result , I have never been pulled over or ticketed in the
state of VA .
BUT - I see every time when I go there how the state enforces it's
sometimes rediculous laws to "keep the public safe" .
>
>One of the most F***ed up Cop stories I've heard was of a very good friend
>of mine who got pulled in a small town in Ga. on his way to Fla. They had
>been sleeping in their van at night & got pulled one Sat. afternoon. The cop
>asked them what was in the baggy on the floor & pulled my friends out of the
>van, cuffed them, arrested them for possession of cocaine & jailed them.
>Thirty-six hours later they were released when the lab opened up and
>confirmed that the 'residue' was toothpaste, just like they had told the
>cop. My friend had been keeping his toothbrush in the baggy!
So is this now a contest of "tit for tat" ? I made my unpleasenttries known
about certain things in states *like* VA and now all the sudden a story
about a problem with a cop in GA comes up ?
I doubt you did that on purpose , but even if you did , I will not say that
GA cops are any better all the time .
What I can say is that wherever I travel in GA cops are fairly curteous FOR
THE MOST PART . The Georgia State Patrol , as well as local municipalities
also have to abide by certain "ethics" .
When clocking any traffic , they must first of all be visible to the
traffic they are clocking . They must be a marked car . The lettering on
the car must be of a certain size and no smaller . They cannot sit at the
bottom of a grade or the crest of a hill . they cannot sit at night with
their lights off (in ambush) . We do not use photo radar (not that they do
in VA) . We do not use airplanes or helicopters (again , not in VA either)
. And as a general rule , although it is not written down , most State
Patrol Post Captains make sure that their officers know that they are to
give traffic at least 9 MPH over the speed limit , within reason .
There are exceptions to these rules .
One specific case was of a local police force in Whitesburg , GA (about 20
minutes from me) that was notorious for writing people up for less than 5
MPH over the speed limit . The whole town is only about 3 miles long and
there are no less than about 15 different speed limit signs withing that 3
miles .
As a result of complaints from the public about harrasment and harsh
treatment , as well as very stiff fines for very minor speeds , at last
check , the state of GA was investigating this small town and will likely
hand down some strong descisions about their behavior .
>
>I got pulled in Delaware 3 weeks ago for doing 79 in a 55 zone ( I-95 @
>11:30 pm Sunday night). I was polite to the cop, had my DL & Registration
>for him, he ticketed me for 62 in a 55 zone. A $46 ticket instead of the
>Reckless Driving he could have charged me with (anything more then 20 above
>posted limit=Reckless). I could have bitched about the 55 MPH on a major
>interstate (I-95 is 65 MPH in all the states surrounding Del.) - but it is
>not the cops fault, he is doing his job - I bitch at him, makes his job
>worse, he charges me with reckless. I-95 from N.Y./Philly to the south is a
>major drug corridor. Hell, they have to worry about being SHOT everytime
>they pull someone! Our biggest worry is a few points on the license.
>
>I've been pulled with & w/out radar detectors, what is the most common
>factor? If I had been paying attention I would have seen the cop or noticed
>the brake lights coming on in front of me! Radar, laser, doesn't matter -
>they only work on line of sight! If it can see you, you can see it! Radar
>detectors may give you a Slight advantage, but paying attention has worked
>just as well for me in picking out the Radar traps.
Me too , that's why I don't have a detector either . They do not help
against "instant on" radar .
>
>Va. is second only to Tx. in the rate of execution for death row inmates
>(and gaining fast!)
Something that I think shold be done more frequently .
>Va. was one of the first states to clear the welfare rolls (find a job, &
>get off welfare cause we're taking it away!) Hey, there are plenty of jobs
>here - if someone is starving - Get A friggin' job!
Thanks God some states are doing things like this .
>
>Anyway, I'll start to climb off the soap-box - the point is Va. is certainly
>no worse then any of the other 49 states, like all of them they have their
>+'s and -'s. If ya don't like Va., the only thing I can say is - don't
>visit! Otherwise, give me your address, I'll send you another box of
>Wheaties, and we can all make like friends again!
Remember , Penut Butter Cap'N Crunch !
And , NO, you aren't getting my Bud Lite !
>
>Respectfully submitted...
>
Thanks for the tact .
My basic point is this :
All states have so-called "quotas" for handing out speding tickets .
They aren't supposed to , but they do none the less .
The thing that puts my panties in a wad is that VA , by way of making
detectors illegal , practically advertises the fact .
But NO , THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES AND I AM NOT SLAMMING THE GREAT
STATE........errrr "Commonwealth" OF VA .
Duff ,
I thank you for being so composed in your reply when you were obviously
miffed , but I think that your biggest problem with this is that everyone
was talking about VA .
If I am wrong , then I appologize .
OK , Group hug , damnit !
BTW - If you want to know where I go in VA , it's in extreme Southwest VA ,
not far at all from Kingsport , TN in a town called Coeburn in Wise County
. This is where my father was born and most of my Dad's side of the family
still lives . The place saw it's hey day back in the days when coal was
king in the mountains , and now it get's poorer by the year . The area is
absolutely beautiful , but they have like 3 cops in town , and they
constantly harras the people there .
Like I said , I only speak of what I know .
W . Jack Hilton III
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:10:33 EDT