I think the Secret Service wanted to pull me over yesterday.

Have you ever driven in rush hour in Washington, DC? It's already ridiculous gridlock madness without frickin' government officials taking up a lane.

I was in traffic, 2-lanes, near the White House, in rush hour. A Secret Service patrol car was parked in the right lane, and the SS cop inside was talking to two of his SS cop buddies outside. Just chatting. :eyes: While two lanes of rush hour traffic had to crush into one lane and crawl on by.

I saw red. As it was finally my turn to pass the patrol car, I leaned over and shouted "MOVE!" I employed everything I'd learned as a singer, breathing down into my abdomen, employing the diaphragm, projecting -- I used every ounce of strength and volume I could put into my voice. It worked: all three heard me and looked over.

Since traffic was nearly at a standstill, one of them had the chance to get behind me (a few cars back) and get my license plate. I thought he was going to trot up and tell me to pull over.

Then I saw the car move and that cop crowded his way in among the cars and got behind me. We crawled together for two blocks, about five minutes. I suspected (maybe :tinfoilhat:, maybe not) that he was running my license plate for trouble.

But y'know what? He MOVED, didn't he! :rofl:

:rofl:

They looked absolutely ridiculous.

Big, black Suburbans filled with clean-shaven 20-somethings who are armed to the teeth with automatic weapons and a misplaced and overblown sense of duty.

...and they cannot "move" until whatever rich old white guy they are assigned to "moves"....as annoying as you think they are, they do have a job to do, and yelling at them, (or cutting them off in traffic or slipping into the middle of a motorcade) does nothing to help a situation. Sadly, everyone in D.C. who has an SS detail assigned to them also has the self-important misconception that it is their detail's responsibility to get them to committee meetings and appointments on time after they have run late on their own schedule.

There was no motorcade -- and god help you if you every try cutting off a motorcade or "slipping into" a motorcade. :rofl: You'd find yourself crushed by armor-bodied monster SUVs. Then they'd draw guns on you and let you writhe in pain until they ascertained your terror threat status. Then you'd be arrested. Then maybe they'd take you to hospital.

And in this case, yelling at them - ill-advised but effective yesterday - DID help the situation. Rush hour traffic in that area suddenly had both lanes back.

They've got a job to do. Yep. IMO it ought not to be their "job" to chat in the middle of rush hour traffic.

:hi:

You were lucky that they weren't there to lock down the intersection and stop everyone in traffic to let the ambassador from Norway drive through unimpeded.
Seriously though, driving around So. Cal these days I make it a rule to not yell at anyone in traffic if I think they could have a gun, gov't issue or otherwise.

However, soccer moms with a cell phone in one hand and a burrito in the other while they swerve their Ford Excessive over the white line or run a right turn on a red at 35 in heavy traffic, they can usually hear me with my window and theirs rolled up.

I was driving a rental car out of Dulles airport once years ago, on my way to visit my terminally ill mother, so my mind was everywhere but in that car. Suddenly, I glanced in the rear view mirror, and a Virginia state trooper was tailgating me - I've NEVER been tailgated that closely in my life. I was at the speed limit as far as I knew, and the passing lane was completely clear, but the idiot would not get off my tail.

Finally, I jabbed the brake pedal, enough to make the front end dive. He locked up all four wheels and nearly lost control of his cruiser. It's the one time I WANTED a cop to pull me over, but he didn't have the guts. Gutless turd. Must have been a republican.

I wanted to see how far it would go. :shrug:

Good one, bertha. :-)

:hi:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

one going one way, one going another. They were stopped, talking to one another. I leaned on my horn, and the one guy got out, put on his police hat, and swaggered over to my car and banged on the roof.

"What if I had been someone with a knife? Huh? What would you have done then? Huh?"

"Well, I guess I would have had to call a cop, then, wouldn't I?"

He didn't say another word, just walked back to his unmarked car and drove off.

Only a cute young white girl could get away with saying that to a Philly cop without being hauled in for something. I look back in amazement at my own bravery and stupidity.



And by the way, Bertha - you'll have to let us know how you like the No Fly List... B-)