Shaffer makes the hit list

The long litany of your excuse is irrelevant. If you mouthed off to a police officer (off-duty or otherwise), you got what was coming to you. A hot head always serves to exacerbate any situation... it doesn't matter if you are right or wrong. Getting flippant with an officer is a sure-fire way to get your butt thrown in jail (as you found out). I hope that you learned something from your experience, but the long excuse suggests that you might not have. If you ever make a run into Canada and mouth off to those guys, you'd better start learning the lyrics to "Oh, Canada", because you probably won't be coming home for awhile.

 

Unfortunately too many officers think they are above the law. I am friends with our police chief and I told him it is hard to teach kids to respect law enforcement officers when they regularly disobey the laws they enforce on others. A perfect example comes from Albuquerque. They have a law banning cell phone use while driving unless you are using a hands free device. Several months ago an Albuquerque offiicer ran into the back of a flatbed that was parked along the shoulder waiting to make a delivery. The driver of the flatbed was deemed responsible for the accident as the officer reported that he did not have his flashers on. The other day I was in my favorite barber shop and so was this officer. He is still in rehab for recovery from the injuries. Well, when he left my barber said, "The truth is he was text messaging when he ran into the truck." Too bad the truck driver has the accident on his record when, had the officer been abiding by the law that they enforce regularly, he probably would not have run into the truck.

 

What ever happend to COMMON SENSE? DRIVE SAFE

 

I do not disagree that there are some jerk cops out there. I've encountered a few that it would have given me great pleasure to plant a Tony Lama in their rear end. However, I highly doubt that your exchange was on a polite "I beg to differ" scale. In the face of politeness, even the biggest jerk cop is unlikely to throw you in jail. One of the obstacles we face as professional drivers is the knowledge that there are a few unprofessional cops out there who get their jollies by wielding the power given to them by their badge. It is up to us to allow cooler heads to prevail in these unfortunate circumstances. I maintain that your long excuse would be unnecessary had you swallowed a little pride and maintained professionalism in the face of a situation that you deemed unjust. News flash: That's life!

I'm not suggesting anything except that you probably made a poor decision based on emotion in an unfortunate situation. Had you allowed a cooler head to prevail, you would have no need to "head anywhere" with this topic. I'm not trying to make you out to be better or worse than anyone else. I'll be the first to admit that I've lost my gentle composure on the road a time or two myself. But, showing anything less than professional courtesy to a police officer, whether he/she is right or wrong, is the wrong answer EVERY TIME.

Sometimes, life may throw a situation in our path in which an injustice is so reprehensible, we should take it to court and fight it, tooth and nail, while we put the rest of our life on hold. I doubt that this is one of those situations. My suggestion would be, put this behind you, move ahead, and learn from your mistakes.

As young men, many of us are full of spit and vinegar and ready to pounce on any perceived injustice with bared teeth and closed fist. As we grow older, those of us who have learned from our mistakes tend to choose our battles more wisely.

 

Best of luck in your crusade.

 

well said pawpaw!!!

 

I meant "well said pawpaw" on this reply...

 

I know plenty of truckers with college degrees. I even met a trucker who is a member of MENSA. I have a four-year college degree myself which I earned with no outside help. You really aren't as special as you think. According to a profile in Newport Communications, about half of truck drivers have some college education and 90% have a high school diploma or equivalent. I worked in Broadcast Engineering for 20 years before I started driving a truck. I went to CDL school with a former software engineer. Did you ever consider that some of us are truckers because that's what we want to do? Having a college degree is something to be proud of, but it's a poor yardstick for measuring the character of a person... as your testimony so eloquently exemplifies. (I'm taking a wild stab that you were not an English major).

Perhaps you should take your own advice...