# A dark sense of vindication **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 23, 2015, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510 "2015-10-23T04:51:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/1 "2015-10-23T04:51:07Z")
So, I was hurrying this morning, and apparently I rolled through a stop sign while turning right. Blue lights came on behind me, I stopped near the next intersection, and a sheriff’s deputy walked up. She laid it on thick: “This is Falls Church; there are _children_ here. What if there had been a person in the crosswalk? You could have _killed_ someone.” I took my medicine, yes ma’am, yes ma’am. I wasn’t going to argue, and eventually it became clear that this was just going to be a harsh warning, anyway. She finished tearing me a new one, glared at me one last time, and went back to her car. She turned off the flashers, eased out from behind me – – and blew right through the red light. ---
**Author:** ![LegendHasit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/legendhasit/32/8246_2.png) [@LegendHasit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LegendHasit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/2 "2015-10-23T22:05:51Z")
You’ll never forget that encounter. No ticket, though! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/3 "2015-10-24T14:13:15Z")
Woulda been complete if somebody with the green had had to screech to avoid the accident. As it is, only you knew she screwed up. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/4 "2015-10-24T14:24:57Z")
This is why I need a dash cam. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/5 "2015-10-25T21:19:08Z")
What, you can’t see if someone’s in the crosswalk unless you’re completely stopped? These are the real cops people should be pissed about. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/6 "2015-10-25T21:25:12Z")
I treasure the time a cop tried to pass me on the right just as I was changing lanes to get out of his way. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/7 "2015-10-25T22:57:22Z")
“But officer, science tells us that nothing truly stops.” ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/8 "2015-10-26T03:47:10Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > What, you can’t see if someone’s in the crosswalk unless you’re completely stopped? These are the real cops people should be pissed about. Yeah. I would have been tempted to say that if there had been someone in the crosswalk, I would have actually stopped for the stop sign…instant ticket. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/9 "2015-10-26T12:18:48Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > This is why I need a dash cam. just wait, it will probably be usual parts of a new car (hard to remember words that I really should use) Humans, at least ones that are planning to be cops, will be born with body cams. Got evolution? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/10 "2015-10-26T17:37:48Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > “But officer, science tells us that nothing truly stops.” Does the law specify _how long_ you need to remain stopped? Because an instant is a particular point in time. At any instant, there is no motion. So the car stopped an infinite number of times. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/11 "2015-10-26T17:47:55Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > – and blew right through the red light. That’s not a traffic signal… it’s a mood ring! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/12 "2015-10-27T03:19:06Z")
I fantasize about writing to the Sheriff to complain about the deputy, and I’d go on about how this is Falls Church and there’s children here, and if there had been someone in the intersection she would have killed him… Might as well paint a big target on my car, of course, and get a vanity tag that says, “DOOFUS”. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dark-sense-of-vindication/735510/13 "2015-10-27T04:05:43Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I fantasize about writing to the Sheriff to complain about the deputy, and I’d go on about how this is Falls Church and there’s children here, and if there had been someone in the intersection she would have killed him… > > Might as well paint a big target on my car, of course, and get a vanity tag that says, “DOOFUS”. Does the local paper publish anonymous letters? The Sheriff might see it there. 😃 OTOH, it may get connected with this thread … ☹ (I edited out the name of your local paper, with which I’m familiar, for just that reason.)