[woofa.express]

Today was judgement day.

It was late last year I was issued an infringement notice for a traffic offence. A speeding cop passed me and I put my hand out the window and wagged my index finger chastised her, the driver. Well I was issued this fine for putting part of my body outside the vehicle. The policewoman was predatory, authoritive, that is in your face and bossy and she was most unpleasant. The accompanioning male officer took a subordinate position.
We were all going to a traffic meeting at the local council. I was to represent the local member of parliament. Only 3 of us plus 4 shire representatives. The cops weren’t to expect my presents and here we are at a table facing each other about 4 feet away. A discussion followed after the meeting closed in which the female cop said some things she would not like repeated. Following this a received an email from the state M.P.’s legal director to say I was fired from representing the M.P. and when I was asked why she told me I didn’t represent the M.P.s views. Infact I hadn’t given any view at all, just agreed to the changes that had been requested. Those nasty cops obviously called to say I was unsuitable.
Well I elected to go to court and challenge it. This I did today. The magistrate twice said if I was to plead guilty he would give me a reduced penalty. I declined and insisted on pleading not guilty. This man turned out to be most reasonable with whom I could comfortably converse with. I was most vocal in reprimanding the policeman and I was reprimanded for that. (the offensive policewoman couldn’t make it due, we were told, because of a family illness). When he asked me, on 2 occasions why I was doing this I told him I wasn’t going to stand for thugs and bullies who where police. I expanded on this but I will cut to the chase.
I was found guilty of putting part of my body outside the vehicle but the magistrate would apply some remote law, number 11a, whatever that was and found me guilty but no fine, no court costs and no recorded judgement. The policeman was asked why was he had done this. It was a sort of a soft reprimand.
I was pleased I had insisted on “not guilty” especially because of the non authoritive manner of this magistrate. And of course I was pleased at his ruling.
There was an additional good news event. I had kept motorists free of this police officer for the day but I’ll need to tread carefully for a long time.
I have gone to court on 2 other charges. One on lighting up the levee bank as a fire reduction precaution prior to the fire season. Got a similar judgement passed against me. One other when the tax department charged me with tax fraud because I had not declared some stock on hand at the end of a financial year. Well I pleaded guilty to that. Who has sufficient recourses to fight the juga naught?

A footnote. About 18 months ago I wrote to the police area commander and told him that I and the other residents in our town were tired of being under constant surveillance by one of his police officers. They were the most despicable police in the police force I told him and suggested they remove the words “highway patrol” from their car and substitute it with “highway men”. The area commander and another drove to my home to do some P.R. on me. Today for the first time I saw highway patrol had been replaced with the single word “police”.

Both today and with the burning off as fire prevention I was commended for good character and thanked for my community service. I was confident in both of these 2 charges and being brutally honest did pay. I did acknowledge the magistrate when he said to take on the police would have been both trying and stressful. In eloquent words which I can’t recall he suggested at my age I might step back a little.