[Political joke]
My understanding is that you all had to farm some out to Washington, DC.
[/PJ]
Oh, and Ex-Tank, given your reaction on a message board of all places (I shudder to think as to how you appeared to this poor girl), I think that the woman involved was perfectly justified in going to the police station.
You did that shit to me, I’d do the same thing. I don’t know you from Adam. For all I know, you’re as much an idiot cuntfunnel as you make her out to be.
I know you’ll tell me to, essentially, fuck off. Don’t give a shit what you think of me or my opinion. But if you don’t want a contradictory opinion, I’d advise you to write in a journal where people can’t comment on it.
Did read it. Yes, the whole thing. I thought it had said hand signal, but now I see it said “put on” signal. At any rate, my post was politely worded. All that would have been necessary on your part was a simple correction along the lines of “oh, I didn’t use a hand signal…”.
You need to calm down and quit snarling and biting at all and sundry beause you’re upset at the lady in question.
you mean, what would the lady in question have had to say to the police officer for him to cite or arrest her? Not my field, but perhaps Gfactor or Bricker will wander through the Pit this weekend and answer correctly. Based on my understanding, she would have had to admit to something serious (i.e., to make it worth their time) and there would need to be corroborating evidence.
But it was serious, you’re thinking. She tried to kill me! Attempted vehicular manslaughter!
Her admission – that she had made what amounts to an unsafe lane change – probably would not have been sufficient for her to be charged. It’s a misdemeanor most likely.
No, no, you say. She tried to kill me.
I’m not sure that there is such a thing as attempted vehicular manslaughter. Manslaughter (a legal term of art) is a crime requiring only recklessness (another legal term of art). I think we do have recklessness here – she did not intend harm but she knew or should have known that her conduct put you in danger. Now, attempt makes it interesting, because attempt actually requires intent (there was a recent GQ thread about attempt, by the way) – she had to intend to commit vehicular manslaughter. And that’s what I can’t wrap my head around – attempt requires a higher level of intent than manslaughter, so if you want to press attempt, you’d have to make a case for attempted murder, and clearly you can’t make a case for that.
I realize this is a bit incoherent; again, I’m hoping either that one of the good lawyers will come by and flesh this out or, alternatively, you could repost this as a hypothetical in GQ and ask, What could the cop have done?
Well, don’t mourn the fact you’re not doing beauty pageants. It didn’t seem to lead JonBenet to a happier life.
But I digress. The hardest thing is to be rational and objective about your own conduct, and how that comes across to other people. One of the most telling facts that leads me to believe that, while you thought you were collected you actually weren’t, is that the lady drove to the police station. That wasn’t a coincidence. She did so, not because she felt compelled to confess some crime, but because she was concerned for her safety. She thought that she needed to protect herself from you. So there was something in your demeanor that gave her that impression, more likely than not. I should point out that there are likely tons of relevant facts that I could pull out of you in an interview that would skew this one way or the other (being the stunningly good lawyer that I am), but we work with what we have here in the thread. So, my take on it is that while you were in your opinion calm, cool and collected, the cop took the cues from your behavior following the incident (following the driver, using the Glare Of Death, etc.), and determined that there may be some fault on both parties.
But I reiterate that you ought to repost the OP in GQ as a hypo, with it toned down and stripped down as far as possible, to solicit opinions from our lawyers and law enforcers about what the cop could have done.
Not having done my time in Missouri, I don’t know QT. I will say though, that when I lived in Dallas, there was a radio station that used to play “cop or no cop” some mornings. The caller would have to guess in advance whether there was a cop in the store, then the DJ would call a random donut shop and ask if there was a cop in there right then. Guess it right, win a t-shirt. I miss Dallas sometimes.
ExTank, you’re a guy whose posts I look out for, because I often learn something. So based on my past impression of you, I accept that the circumstances in which you envision using a pistol on the road are truly life-endangering, him-or-me situations. But your OP and subsequent posts failed to communicate this. Misinterpretation was more likely than not.
The guy who spilled you and shattered your arm deserved to be shot. But the chances of a pistol actually being able to save your life from a murderous driver seem remote - even if he’d failed to spill you when he tapped your wheel, could you really have drawn and fired backward off your bike fast enough and accurately enough to save yourself if he came in for a second go? It seems to me that your bike skills will serve you better than a gun ever would.
It would have been nice if the daft cow who cut you up had her license pulled and her car crushed into a cube, but that was never going to happen. The cop could at least have let her know that it was her good luck you weren’t hurt and she wasn’t facing criminal charges. A detailed description of exactly how much fun it is to break the news of a death to someones loved ones wouldn’t have gone amiss either.
A lot of the posters you’ve been trading insults with here are generally reasonable people. I know how a near miss feels - I’ve had the shakes for a couple of days solid, and I don’t even have the memory of nightmare incident like yours haunting me. But the Pit might not be the best place to let this shit out.
I was waiting for this to come out. I’m obviously deranged* so she obviously felt threatened. Is that your position?
No, I’m not, and no, she wasn’t. The road we turned onto leads to a subdivision, so as far as she knew (not that she was paying any attention or seemed to care), I was just another guy riding down the road. She was surprised to see me when she got out of her car.
And she went there to be fingerprinted, a service offered by many municipal and county police agencies for people that require them for various reasons (special permits, background checks, etc.)
Sgt. Doughnut said the words “Calm down” once. To her, when she began frothing after I busted her lie.
Again, IANAL, so don’t bust my balls in the Pit about the inherent legal contradiction of “attempted manslaughter.” Although a quick google shows this. And this. And this. And this.
Checking “vehicular manslaughter” returns this. And more in that vein. And again, IANAL, but it seems that if it’s a crime to actually do something, then it’s a crime (even if a lesser one) to attempt to do something.
Even if I’m using the term incorrectly, and it doesn’t apply in my particulars, it seems to be a valid definition in some jurisdictions, so I didn’t fabricate the term wholly from my imagination and legal ignorance.
I’ve been reading this thread and totally agree with this. Let the shit out where it can serve as fertilizer, not in the Pit you’re likely to get it back in the face.
Well good morning ExTank. How was your night? I slept well and am now sober[sup]1[/sup]. Let me preview this post.
Aw hell! Are ya on the crack? Is it the crack talking?
You were waiting for this to come out. You mean, come out again right? Because otherwise that seems like an admission that you haven’t been paying attention. So chuck it. I’m not going to bother responding to you anymore and will now proceed to the virtual tickling stage:
"Who’s a gwumpy Tank? ::tickle tickle:: You’re a gwumpy Tank, that’s riiight! ::tickle tickle ::
[sup]1[/sup]Too cool, I just lived through that famous Churchill quote. Well, if you replace “Madam” with “ExTank” and replace “ugly” with "stupid’.
What are the benefits of using a .45 as opposed to smaller gun? Granted, .45’s have more stopping power, but you aren’t really trying to stop anybody from moving against you, you’re trying to retaliate against them for an attack on you.
Self-defense is legal, retaliation is not. Retaliation may be satisfying, but it’s not legal.
So, to hell with the law. What’s the weapon you can use that will minimize your chances of being caught? I’m thinking a .22 semi-auto. More accurate at longer ranges than a .45, but still enough power to take someone out at close range - and you’d probably be doing most of your shooting at close range, anyway. A .22 would also be ideal for shooting out windshields, headlights, and tires. Pop -pop-pop- and no one’s the wiser.
One thing I would never do is suggest making a silencer out of PVC pipe and use it to eliminate the next impulsive bimbo who cuts you off, because that’s a Federal crime. Only those who are right there on the scene would know that you shot her dead, because a silenced .22 makes less noise than a cap gun. A .45 on the other hand, announces it’s use several blocks away.
I mean, if you are going to commit a few road rage murders ( and haven’t we all at one time or another) at least give yourself a fighting chance of getting away with it. Start looking for some nice property in Mexico where you can build a house and settle down. When it comes time for that inevitable run for the border, everything will be ready. Doesn’t hurt to plan ahead.
Also: dye your hair blond. Get a lot of cash and leave it in the car. Borrow your brother’s driver’s license. Cause, you know, that plan worked pretty well for Scott Peterson.
Now, the part where I get my ass handed to me.
No. Had you read my post – oh wait! I’m gonna do this ExTank style!
(I have to admit. I like this. It’s quite good.)
Now, for our studio audience, let’s refresh ourselves on something Campion said in the post to which ExTank purports to respond.
Huh. So now you’ve posted additional facts that could change the analysis. Interesting. I wonder why Campion didn’t see that coming? Being such a stunningly good lawyer and all.
See? More new facts! Yay, us!
Never said you fabricated. In fact, what I said was,
That means, I am not sure that there is such a thing as attempted manslaughter. It does not mean, there is no such thing as attempted manslaughter, just that I don’t know. Now you’ve provided some citations to show that it exists. Must admit, don’t really care enough to research it myself (hence my prior statement), and don’t really know what the elements or mental state required are, so we’ll just say: good for you and your Google-fu.
Shame I never saw that coming. Oh wait!
Wow. So, you mean, I admitted I didn’t know what potential crimes were committed, or what the cop could have done? Huh. So, not so much with the ass-handing, then.
Oh, and the “inherent legal contradiction” I babbled about? I wasn’t busting your balls (charming), but musing about how fun the law is. I like the law. I think it’s interesting. I realize that this isn’t really the place for it, but, unfortunately, I just like the law.
One final thing:
Actually, I never said that. It would be incorrect. I am a lawyer, for one. Oh, and for two (please don’t snicker), I don’t have balls.
Hey, Scotty almost got away with it. Although you really have to question the judgement of a man who would kill to be with Ambery Frey.
The lesson here is not: don’t murder your wife; the lesson here is: bring a chainsaw next time, and take your boat further out. (Sharks are very efficient, but they need time to work.)
Oh, forgot the point I intended to make. At the risk of starting you frothing at the mouth again, Tank, I read your posts - I read the entire thread, in fact, and what you propose to do (ie kill the next driver who, in your eyes, threatens your life by interfering with you on your bike) sounds as logical to me as killing someone over a pack of smokes.
I’m not saying you would kill someone over a pack of smokes; I’m saying that your reaction that you say you intend to take SOUNDS like as much of an overreaction to me as saying you’d kill someone over a pack of smokes.
It’s just driving, dude. Chill already. And as others have mentioned, if driving a bike is likely to get you killed, maybe you shouldn’t, you know, drive a bike.