4588686 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 (edited) I got a speeding ticket a while ago. I went to court to try to get the charges reduced. The line took a little over two hours just to get to my spot. The judge was incredibly long winded. It wasn't long before I started making fun of how Kafkaesque the scene was. A judge rambling on to a sophomore at the local party school about his his possession charge could stop him from getting some great job in the future that requires a security clearance even though nobody believed that the kid was either repentant or capable of landing a job that took background checks seriously. Me and this hipster girl were laughing about it and making the surrounding people laugh for about 30 minutes before some woman who had undoubtedly volunteered a lot to be hall monitor in grade school turned around and told us 'just so we'd know' that we could be found in contempt of court. The judge didn't seem to give a duck. Eventually my turn came. I got the Assistant District Attorney to reduce the charge. The judge asked me how I wanted to plead. I said, 'guilty.' He asked if I had anything to say on my behalf before the sentence. I smiled and said 'no, thanks.' Nobody else had done that in the two hours I was there and he seemed to appreciate the brief break in the theatrics and laughed and smiled and said "sometimes there's just nothing to say." I paid my fine and left. It was about $50 cheaper than the original charge and now it shouldn't impact my insurance. I do regret not talking more with the hipster girl. Edited February 13, 2013 by Hasan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Dusk Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hassan, it sounds as if you were a bit rude. It's not a fun job to make decisions about speeding tickets all day. I've been to a speeding ticket hearing before. Apparently I missed the 3 houses that made up a town and I should of divined to go slower, and the cop was a part of male anatomy. I'd actually slowed and started to turn around because I was lost and had seen the cop and wanted to ask for help. The cop never told me where I was, and I ended up finding a UPS driver who helped me out. The judge let me off and the cop got a warning that he better not appear in front of a court like this again or he'd be charging the officer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hassan, it sounds as if you were a bit rude. It's not a fun job to make decisions about speeding tickets all day. I guess I find it ruder that North Carolina uses traffic tickets for revenue rather than safety. I think that it's somewhat rude for the state of North Carolina to charge me $178. I wasn't rude to the judge. I'm sure it's not a fun job but he is well paid for a pretty mundane job so I don't feel terrible for him. I don't have any animosity towards the judge. I just didn't see any need to publicly flagellate myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Good story. I was not sure where the sarcasm began or ended, which always makes for a fun read. 10/10, would read again. In my experience, it seems that the majority of cops really do not care what you are doing as long as they do not think you are disrespecting them. If they do, they can be rather vindictive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 What Nihil said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 i would have loved to be a fly on the wall for this. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Was it worth the $25 an hour to stand in a line? I think I would have just paid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fides' Jack Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Good story. I was not sure where the sarcasm began or ended, which always makes for a fun read. 10/10, would read again. In my experience, it seems that the majority of cops really do not care what you are doing as long as they do not think you are disrespecting them. If they do, they can be rather vindictive. If you're stupid enough to be disrespectful to a cop, you deserve a little vindictiveness. This reminded me about the time I went to one of those. It took about an hour to get through the line, and most people were just pleading guilty and having their "sentences" reduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I guess I find it ruder that North Carolina uses traffic tickets for revenue rather than safety. I think that it's somewhat rude for the state of North Carolina to charge me $178. I wasn't rude to the judge. I'm sure it's not a fun job but he is well paid for a pretty mundane job so I don't feel terrible for him. I don't have any animosity towards the judge. I just didn't see any need to publicly flagellate myself. I-85 can take you out of North Carolina. If that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 If you're stupid enough to be disrespectful to a cop, you deserve a little vindictiveness. This reminded me about the time I went to one of those. It took about an hour to get through the line, and most people were just pleading guilty and having their "sentences" reduced. :idontknow: It is not unusual that a cop is inclined, for whatever reason, to be a jerk, just because they can. Yet if you do not respond with perfect deference, you get squished. I am not ok with that, just because they have a shiny badge. That is the way it is, but that does not mean I have to appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKolbe Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Next time don't anger me Hasan, and I won't have to reach into my deep pocket of 'friends' to teach you a lesson. Live and learn, young pup....I love you anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Next time don't anger me Hasan, and I won't have to reach into my deep pocket of 'friends' to teach you a lesson. Live and learn, young pup....I love you anyways. If thou stretchest forth thy hand, we promise amendment; if thou withholdest the sword, we keep not our promise. If thou strikest, we cry out for mercy: if thou sparest, we again provoke thee to strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r2Dtoo Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 (edited) I guess I find it ruder that North Carolina uses traffic tickets for revenue rather than safety. I think that it's somewhat rude for the state of North Carolina to charge me $178. I wasn't rude to the judge. I'm sure it's not a fun job but he is well paid for a pretty mundane job so I don't feel terrible for him. I don't have any animosity towards the judge. I just didn't see any need to publicly flagellate myself. You're complaining over $178? My last speeding ticket that I got in VA cost over $300, and it didn't even affect my insurance. Edited February 13, 2013 by r2Dtoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Was it worth the $25 an hour to stand in a line? I think I would have just paid it. That's a lot more than I get paid. Plus what it saves in insurance. Yes. It definitely was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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