Didn't go a single week....

[icepenguin66]

And don't forget that around 80% of traffic fatalities occur at speeds below 45mph. So there is no legitimate or rational explanation for the excessive speed traps and sports car harassment.

[TurboDuane]

Iain, when I came upon the lights I slowed. Anyway, I'm obviously upset about this but I do feel that I'm rational, so lets have a little fun.

A Mock Trial right here on DFWMiata.com. Since Kestrel is obviously on the prosicuters side, we'll make hime the Procecutor; I'm obviously the Defendant.

Pour through the above post, and place your ballot on Guilty or Not-Guilty. The outcome of this mock trial will help me evaluate whether or not I am in the wrong; or if I should proceed to fight the ticket.

I'll return with some photo's in the next day or so along with some diagrams of the situation and I'll make my case. Upon Kestrel and I making our case's I'll open up the polls so everyone can cast their ballot.

May justice prevail

[ccage]

...My street pours into a school zone...

...Anyway went down a block, noticed the flashing light, slowed down, but it was too late . The :pig: got me doing 33 in a 20 school zone...

Um, guilty?

Chuck

[blackzx3_13]

Start a new trial thread with a poll.

[onething]

The :pig: got me doing 33 in a 20 school zone.

I'd say if you were doing 33 in a 20, you must be guilty. Other than that, what are you planning to say to the judge?

[ccage]

Start a new trial thread with a poll.

Please don’t waste our time with a poll; You’ve really taken this far enough already.

In your initial post you admitted that you were in a school zone and that you were speeding. You even acknowledged that the school zone was only two blocks from your house and that you knew damn well it was there.

You broke the law and you got caught.

As Kestrel said, you’d have received quite a bit of sympathy if you’d have started this thread with something like, “I blew it. I didn’t realize the school zone was still active and got a ticket.” Instead you decided to post a rant about how unfair the system is because you got caught, then called police officers “pigs” and “trols” (sic) and lambasted them for enforcing the law.

Consider yourself very lucky that you live in a bubble where your only interaction with police is getting a speeding ticket. Good for you. But suggesting that police don’t do anything but write tickets is ignorant.

Furthermore, suggesting that police enforcing traffic laws has any relation to Gestapo persecution of Jews in WWII Germany is asinine. Since you admitted you broke the law, it’s apparent that what you’re pissed about here is the law, not the police. And though chances are good you’re either a) too lazy to exercise those rights, or b) afraid (rightly so) that most people will disagree with your forthcoming proposed modifications to school zone speed laws, there are any number of venues for you to exercise your rights to pursue changes in that law through our system of government. There were (obviously) no such venues for WWII era German Jews. Apparently you’ve confused “prosecuted” with “persecuted.” Look it up. Move on.

The height of jackass, however, is posting the fact that you broke the law to a public forum. Has it occurred to you that police officers or your insurance agent may read this forum? I wonder how your "case" would proceed if this thread were submitted as evidence?

As far as you going to court to try out your lame-ass arguments – like, “I didn’t see any kids around,” or “I couldn’t see the sign because I was entering from a side street,” or “there weren’t any other cars going 20,” or maybe even “the cop’s a pig/troll and should have been stopping some ‘real’ criminal instead of me” -- well, that’s up to you. Maybe you’ll get lucky and some technicality will let you off. Or maybe the judge has heard all that crap a thousand times already.

Just don’t ask everyone on this forum to pass judgment on you regarding this issue. I’m sure everyone already has.

Chuck

[riverracer]

The :pig: got me doing 33 in a 20 school zone.

"Guilty" as charged!!!

[icepenguin66]

I'd say if you were doing 33 in a 20, you must be guilty. Other than that, what are you planning to say to the judge?

The whole ideology behind creating laws is to protect citizens from one another. If there was nobody to endanger then what point is there to punish someone? I understand that cannot hold true to every circumstance in life but most laws should be enforce arbitrarily depending on whether the defendant actually endangered or even affected anyone.

From what I can understand, this is another case of ticket revenue collection. The job of the Police is to serve and protect and in this case neither are being done. I'm very curious whether the cop would have still pulled him over had he been in an SUV or minivan. I know that when I go out late on the weekends, I borrow my parents Maxima or Van cause I never get any grief from Police in those cars.

i.e. The mandatory seat belt law.

Even though I will not even start my vehicle unless everyone has their safety belt attached, I am strongly against the law. The concept behind a mandatory safety belt law goes against my ideology on how a free society should be upheld. If I choose to risk my life then that should be my right so long as no one else can be directly affected. Of course if people are allowed to endanger themselves and die then the government cannot collect precious tax money therefore they usually do everything in their power to keep us alive as long as possible. Ever wonder why tobacco products get the shaft on taxes?

[Billy Blaze]

you make some valid points Icepenguin.
I am a pro free society person myself.
I still am not going to go there because I would get blasted on.
I will suffice to say that, I believe many things should be legal that are not and the people who make foolish mistakes that kill or hurt someone should have the book thrown at them.
I dont need anyone protecting me from me, never have never will.
Many people in this country dont care about the way it's run until they have something happen to them, and get no satisfaction.
We wont talk about imminent domain laws and foolishness like that.
I can tell you all this also hinges on the fact that the system works which is almost laughable to me, being a convicted Felon....yes thats right.
I will add that it's a long story, and for something I did not do.
I was young never been in trouble before and was ignorant to the fact that innocent people can be put in jail, I was talked into either pleaing guilty or spending time in jail anyway.
I will tell you that if you make a foolish mistake like I have that convicted Felons loose their right to bear Arms, Vote, Hold any real job, even own Body Armor.
For the rest of their natural lives, this can happen over a $200. hot check, this is said to make a point that the system is not fair, you are guilty until proven innocent...believe that.
I do not think you are going to get out of this ticket though.
I argued a case and won it for over 30 people once, but had photo's that supported that the law was not to the letter.
You are going to have a hard time arguing that because the steet dumps into the school zone, you shouldn't get the ticket...I wish you had a better angle, I know this was a mistake on your part and you would not have done this intentionally whether the Cop was there or not, unfortunately I don't believe thats going to be enough to win your case.
If it were me , again I would take differed adjudication so that it stays off the insurance.
Good luck, and keep this instance in mind...think about the way things really work.
Then Vote.

[icepenguin66]

I do not think you are going to get out of this ticket though.
I argued a case and won it for over 30 people once, but had photo's that supported that the law was not to the letter.
You are going to have a hard time arguing that because the steet dumps into the school zone, you shouldn't get the ticket...I wish you had a better angle, I know this was a mistake on your part and you would not have done this intentionally whether the Cop was there or not, unfortunately I don't believe thats going to be enough to win your case.
If it were me , again I would take differed adjudication so that it stays off the insurance.
Good luck, and keep this instance in mind...think about the way things really work.
Then Vote.

Now that's not true. You have a decent chance of fighting a ticket, unless you are in Mesquite, then you just show up for your guilty conviction and appeal to county court.

I've had about 12 tickets dismissed that I have fought on my own; of course many of them were such bad cases of sports car prejudice that I was guaranteed a win.

Speaking of being convicted while being innoccent, a friend of mine was convicted of a DUI without even having the keys in the ignition! She was sitting in the passenger seat of her car cause she couldn't get ahold of a ride. The same thing almost happened to another friend but the officer was nice enough to let him call a friend to pick him up.

[Treibenschnell]

...even own Body Armor.

Just out of sheer curiosity... why would a normal, everyday person need body armour?

[riverracer]

"Guilty" as charged!!!

Like I said.......
How can you tell the judge your not guilty when you admit speeding in the school zone?
If you did the crime you should just pay the fine....

This thread needs to DIE..............

[ccage]

This thread needs to DIE..............

Chuck

[wrxmr2eater]

I though someone said you lived in Mansfield but your location says Arlington. I know Mansfield is bad with keeping the lights on long after school has been in.

I doubt it is dismissed despite this though as the cities are doing whatever they can to raise their intake of money.

[Billy Blaze]

Well its the fact that I can't own Body Armor that peeves me.
I can't own a gun to protect myself against someone with a gun, and can't even protect my body from fatal injury if someone were shooting at me, even though its highly unlikely (maybe not considering some of the bars I play in..lol) I still don't think it's right.
that being said I have been shot at and stabbed before.
Keep in mind you lose your rights to these things for any Felony conviction, it does not have to be aggrivated or a gun, or violent crime....like I said there are a lot of ways to get a Felony charge.
Anyway this all happened when I was 18, 20 years ago...I don't believe I should be punished for something I didn't do, especially for the rest of my life. IMHO.
I will shut up now, after all this isn't about me, and I have come to the conclusion that if this can happen to a kid who had never been in any kind of trouble before and only being guilty of being too poor to hire a quality attorney,and just plain ignorant of the law...the system has some major flaws.
I am out of this from here on out.
Good luck to you Turbo, I wish you the best on this.
Stand firm in what you believe and gather your facts.
Let me know how it turns out.
You take good care too Icepenguin, I also think you have some good opinions...I would love the oportunity to discuss politics sometime privately with you.

[icepenguin66]

Like I said.......
How can you tell the judge your not guilty when you admit speeding in the school zone?
If you did the crime you should just pay the fine....

This thread needs to DIE..............

So, if I am driving 7 mph over the speed limit to keep up with the flow of traffic and I am boxed in between to cars in the far right lane and being passed by a minivan and a tahoe in the middle lane like I am standing still, do you think I am guilty and should pay the fine cause I did the crime? That is bs and you know it; if not then your view are against everything a free and just society is about IMO. I'm sure glad the judge didn't have the same rationale as some of you guys do, because that ticket I received in Austin was a classic case of targeting a young male in a sports car.

Almost nothing is purely black & white, there is a lot of grey area to deal with and this is right in the middle of it.

[riverracer]

So, if I am driving 7 mph over the speed limit to keep up with the flow of traffic and I am boxed in between to cars in the far right lane and being passed by a minivan and a tahoe in the middle lane like I am standing still, do you think I am guilty and should pay the fine cause I did the crime? That is bs and you know it; if not then your view are against everything a free and just society is about IMO. I'm sure glad the judge didn't have the same rationale as some of you guys do, because that ticket I received in Austin was a classic case of targeting a young male in a sports car.

Almost nothing is purely black & white, there is a lot of grey area to deal with and this is right in the middle of it.

THE MAN WAS SPEEDING IN A "SCHOOL ZONE" HE WAS NOT BOXED IN BY ANYONE....HE IS GUILTY....SO WHY DON'T YOU STOP BEATING A DEAD HORSE HERE....
HAVE A NICE DAY!

[onething]

So, if I am driving 7 mph over the speed limit to keep up with the flow of traffic and I am boxed in between to cars in the far right lane and being passed by a minivan and a tahoe in the middle lane like I am standing still, do you think I am guilty and should pay the fine cause I did the crime?

I was in almost the exact same situation!
I asked the officer, " . . . but what about the dozen cars that passed me?"
The officer said, "You were speeding, you were the one I came to first, so you were the one I stopped."

Was I profiled? I was, at the time, a 40 year old male caucasian driving a white Chevy 1/2 ton pickup.

I accepted responsibility for my actions

[POS Racing]

[riverracer]

VERY NICE MICK...VERY NICE!!!!!:grin: