Subject: Re: Illegal speed traps (was: FIGHT YOUR TICKET)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 19 Sep 1995 16:06:01 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>,
Jeff Seigle  <[email-masked]> wrote:

}If people are encouraged it's entrapment.  I don't think I ever had a cop
}say, "The speed limit's 55 here but I'll bet that car of yours could
}top 150--try it, it'll just be between you and me."  Maybe people 
}occasionally deceived (like no posted limit).  But do you think they're
}actually encouraged?

Sometimes the cops will sit on someone's rear end, turn their brights
on, and when the poor fool speeds up to get out of the glare, will
pull him over (they do this on roads where there isn't any
room to pull over safely...)  I really don't understand this behavior
-- why don't they just make up a speed, if they want to be crooked?

}Yes, and traffic law is so confusing.  I can never remember what the
}octagonal red sign means.

"Slow down, look for traffic, and roll right on through if there isn't any".

}Well, you've got me there.  I know there are people who flaunt traffic
}law because they afford the fines.  But you also get points on your
}license and a bunch of inconvenience.

No inconvenience, unless you fight the ticket.  Just put the money in
the envelope and send it in.  Points on the license?  No problem  --
that's just a few more fines for driving on a suspended or revoked
license.

-- 
Matthew T. Russotto      [email-masked]     [email-masked]
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit
of justice is no virtue."

---

From: Jeff Seigle <[email-masked]>
Date: 19 Sep 1995 16:44:47 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Scott Dunn) writes:

>When I think of the term "speed trap" the term "entrapment comes to 
>mind.  It suggests to me that law enforcement agencies set up a situation 
>where people are encouraged to speed. 

If people are encouraged it's entrapment.  I don't think I ever had a cop
say, "The speed limit's 55 here but I'll bet that car of yours could
top 150--try it, it'll just be between you and me."  Maybe people 
occasionally deceived (like no posted limit).  But do you think they're
actually encouraged?

>The bigger picture looks like this:
>1.	Take a population and raise them to be nearly incompetent at 
>reading and writing.

Yes, I've heard the teachers get kickbacks on traffic fines from the courts
to keep people illiterate.  That's how they make all that money.

>2.	Take those that might rebel and make examples of them to teach 
>the rest of the dummies to obey.

It's a shame that we are forced to obey the law out of the fear that is
created by conspicuous enforcement.  Why, I would have run all the
red lights on the way to work this morning except I didn't want to 
pay a fine and be made an example.

>3.	The incompetents will not be able to question the law because 
>they wouldn't know how to study the law.

Yes, and traffic law is so confusing.  I can never remember what the
octagonal red sign means.

>4.	Those who are competent will figure that they can make plenty of 
>money and that tickets are just the price of doing business.  So why 
>bother fighting?

Well, you've got me there.  I know there are people who flaunt traffic
law because they afford the fines.  But you also get points on your
license and a bunch of inconvenience.

Jeff