Posted on 10/31/2007 3:10:11 AM PDT by Puzzleman
Twice within the past few years, I have been pulled over by the police for driving at night without my headlights on. My car is supposed to turn on the headlights automatically when the light outside is below a certain level, but sometimes I accidentally brush against the controls and inadvertently switch them to manual.
Both times I thanked the policeman because he may well have saved my life. Neither time did I get a ticket or even a warning. In each case, the policeman was white...
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Chris Rock had a great educational video that covered this, but in seriousness, Dr. Sowell hits another homer with this.
Chris Rock Tutorial on How Not to get your Ass Kicked by the Police
ML/NJ
He must be an Uncle Tom! (Joke)
I have a better idea - use manual headlights - I have never forgotten to turn on my lights at night.
I HATE automatic stuff on my car. I don’t like power windows, despise power seats, etc. I’m not even certain I like power steering, and power brakes. ‘Bout the only advance over A/C that I’ve seen and liked is the CD Player and iPod hookup.
And if they ARE going to put all this automatic stuff in my car, how ‘bout puttin’ in a port so I can hook up a PDA or laptop and have a look at what’s goin’ on in the control modules?
“I’ve witnessed a couple of stops that have made me cringe. This is not Neverland.”
I’ve had to make a couple complaints about officers in my time and I’m lily-white. When I used to drive this beater Pinto, it seemed cops were rude or just plain nasty when I would get pulled over. It seemed the nicer my vehicles got, the nicer the cops got. Probably just coincidental as I got older in that time as well.
Thomas Sowell - such a breath of clean air in a fouled racially-baited atmosphere.
I read of a study that indicated that black respondents were less likely to observe or report that they’d actually had an infraction, which is what got them pulled over in the first place.
We had a case here in Apopka FL where a black guy got pulled over for a headlight being out and he gave the cop the “do you know who I am” routine because his mother was a county commissioner or something. She said something like “ain’t no white-boy (officer)” pulling her son over legitimately, or something like that. Kind of funny really.
LOL!! I want this cop the next time I get stopped!!!
Dr. Sowell continues to prove that racism and skin color are NOT a component of law enforcement.
Institutional stereotypes, driven by the left, however, most definitely ARE!!!!
I always get a chuckle whenever Walter Williams sub for Rush. The program always starts with the phrase: "Now, Black by popular demand....."
That in itself deserves an asswhuppin.......from anybody. LOL!
SCORE!!!
Thanks! I’ve been looking for that.
subterfuge
A couple of years ago I was living in San Antonio and the paper came out with an article addressing “racism” in the police force. It seemed that the hispanic community was upset that they were being pulled over and arrested more than the white and black communities.
Of course they just overlooked the facts. San Antonio was 80-some percent hispanic with a 60-some percent hispanic police force. Hispanics made up only 50-some percent of the traffic violations, whites and blacks followed. If equality were the rule, wouldn’t 80-some percent of the violations be attributed to the hispanic community?
People just forget that if you aren’t breaking the law, you probably won’t be pulled over! I got pulled over last weekend and was mad because I wasn’t breaking any law (as I thought). Turns out I had a headlight out, and the officer was just letting me know. It took 30 seconds, I was on my way, and I knew I needed to replace a light. No worries.
Jeez, I hated that car. I ended up giving it away...then helped the kids I gave it to haul it to the junk-yard. :)
I lived in Winter Park at the time and remember that story!! But, it sparked a different memory in me.
A guy standing in a long line at an airline ticket counter kept jumping out of line and cutting in front of the other people to march up to the ticket counter to buy his airline ticket. The ticket agent returned him back to the end of the line to which he asked "Do you know who I am?" He went to the back of the line but, after about 10 minutes, marched back to the ticket counter trying to buy a ticket. Once again, the agent sent him back to his place in line to which he responded "Do you know who I am"? Another 10 minutes passed and he went back to the ticket counter demanding to buy a ticket. The agent patiently pointed at the others in line and told the man that he would have to wait his turn. For the third time, he asked "Do you know who I am?" At this, the agent picked up her microphone and made the following annoucement, "Attention in the terminal. There is a gentleman at the ticket counter who doesn't know who he is. Please step forward if you can identify this gentleman." The man went back in line and waited until it was his turn!! LOL!!
I am not doubting your word but I have to agree with Mr. Sowell. The majority of the time, it is your attitude that dictates whether you get a ticket or not.
So true! I figured it out at the age of 21 when I kept getting pulled over for speeding---one time twice in the span of an half an hour! Don't speed, you don't get pulled over for speeding.
FTR, I'm quite white too, and approaching geezerdom. I have gotten two tickets over the years (one was just a quota job - I was going 50 mph on the Throgs Neck Bridge - and the other I deserved) and I've never had any real trouble with anyone who has stopped me. Your observation about the quality of the car being driven probably has some merit, but I have just observed some things over the years I should not have seen.
ML/NJ
And the headlight out - in my experience - depends on where you are. In DC, they don’t bother with it or give you a heads up. In less congested areas, they give you a ticket.
Ha! Great story!
I love power locks and windows...how can you not like that? It’s much better than leaning across the car every time you want to open the passenger window or unlock the door.
bump for home consumption
A few years ago when I worked for Keego Harbor, a local kid had a reasonably preserved Pinto (rust spots where you’d expect but not too bad). I had to meet the kid just to ask how he kept it running and congratulate him.
Cop car flashed his lights at me, and I figured out what was wrong...
Of course, I think I was a senior in HS at the time.
Automatic seats. A woman told me her parents bought a new Caddie, and while driving home, her mother had dropped the second key [and fob] down along the seat, and couldn't find key, even with the fob attached.
They call the son, and he comes over and finds it, but the parents had moved the power seat around, cutting the [security embedded] key in half.
I forget what she said it cost for a replacement.
I’m gettin’ old. To me, power locks and windows are just one more thing to break.
Which is weird since I know of no information indicating that power locks or windows break more often than manual ones... and they have never broken on any car I’ve owned. I guess I’m just prematurely crotchety.
I’ve been pulled over as a White man by White cops a few times, they have NEVER “let me off” even writing tickets for answering a cell phone without first plugging in the earbud.
“When the same journalist asked the same question of black cops, the answer was about 30 percent of the time — lower, but still an amazing percentage under the circumstances.”
Actually that number is about right. 30% of the Human Population are jerks.
The older I get the more I want the gadgets. I have driven cars with power windows since 1956 and I hate a car without them. If you think about it, most so-called conveniences on a car can also be appreciated for the safety factor they provide. I have been driving for 53 years and have had very little trouble with the gadgets compared with the essentials. I get crochety if I don’t have ‘em.
Some of us just have a thing for lost-cause cars. Why else would I drop 10K in a Fiero? ;)
ping for a later read.
I have heard that driving at night without headlights is often a sign of a drunk driver.
In January of 1968 in San Jose,Ca ,I was stopped at Three AM,drunk and high on weed with no headlights and driving down a one way street in the WRONG direction.
Officer let me go.
Support your SJPD!
“San Antonio was 80-some percent hispanic”
Madre de Dios. Que cosa!
I think that’s probably true only about half the time. A high percentage of the time when I get pulled over, the guy is already writing the ticket before he comes to the window. I think some cops have a “get the guy’s story and make a decision” policy and with some it’s “I caught the guy doing 70 and he’s getting a ticket”.
Power and manual windows are similarly convenient to me when driving...however I hate having to turn the car power on just to open the windows while parked.
It is...but it's also a sign of someone with good night vision, and of someone who has just gotten gas along a fully-lit highway.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.