A while ago I was texted.

I just had a text message sent to me and had to return it so I hit the ditch, stepped on the brake pedal, came to a complete stop, sent my message and reentered traffic. I figure I lost a little under two minutes, total time.

While I hate annoyances like that I had to deal with it and I get tempted to text and drive like everybody else does I still pull over and deal with it from the side of the road.

Texting on the fly is out and out dangerous and while I suppose there are a small handful of people that can text and drive, most will say they can and most are liars. Either they are lying to the rest of us or they are lying to themselves or both. Generally both.

Once I had to go somewhere and get there as fast as possible and was cranking down the interstate in a state that dooesn't permit the use of cell phones while driving.

I swung into the breakdown lane, stopped and answered it. They asked where I was and I told them i was in the breakdown lane of the interstate.

"What's wrong?" they asked in horror and when I told them that I pulled over to answer the phone they got upset. I shot back that it was illegal to use a cell phone while driving and they gave me some answer like they do it all the time.

I pointed out that it must be nice to have friends in high places to get their tickets fixed but I had no such friends and that I could not afford to get ticketed for such an offense. I simply hung up on them and reentered traffic and about 15 minutes later they called again asking to know where I was.

I told them I was stopped in the breakdown lane.

"What? You haven't even moved yet?" they asked in horror.

"I am fifteen miles closer than I was when we spoke the last time but have shut down in the breakdown lane again because you called. We went over this the last time you called. I will be there when I arrive and your calling me slows things down," I replied.

While I suppose I arrived on time I wasn't too polite when they asked me what took me so long.

Teenaged girls are famous for texting and cell phone gabbing while driving. Many soccer moms are no prize, either. 

Sometimes I wish that cops had more latitude. They ought to be able to give people choices like destroy their cell phones in front of him OR get a ticket.

Personally if a cop gave me that choice I would smash the phone and drive away grateful that I wasn't ticketed and keep my mouth shut that I had the good fortune that was offered me. A trip to Wallyworld and I'd have another phone and be back in business a poorer but wiser man.

I can picture an outraged teenaged girl screaming, "Oh, no! Not my cell phone!" and talking her way into a fat ticket for a fine of about three times the value of the phone PLUS five points against her license. PLUS an incease in her insurance. People often don't think. Many also do not know how to count, either.

If she did opt for smashing her phone you can bet your ass that she would go straight to her soccer mom who is just as bad as she is. The pair of them would lodge a vicious complaint against the officer and he'd wind up in the chief's office defending himself.



To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY