Of all the lessons I learned in law school, chief among them was never to allow the words ‘I know my rights’ to pass from my lips in front of an officer of the law or other authority figure. The wise Prof knew that if any of us got full of the zeal of the young law-grad going we would do nothing but force authority figures into over drive just in order to take us down.
For those of us who are lucky enough to live in countries where the concept of the rule of law applies, the idea that the rules aren’t applied fairly can be quite a shock to the sensibilities. I know how authority figures can get right under the skin when you: only went to get change for the meter; were only there for two minutes; did not see the sign/fire-hydrant/fine print etc, etc and often you can just be on the wrong side of an authority-thug; but believe me, there just isn’t enough time in the world to change the mind of an uber-authoritarian by sheer force of your superior knowledge, intellect or brilliant turn of phrase.
You need to be smart: smile, ask for their name or i.d. ‘just in case you have any questions in the future’, use your smart phone to record details and photos and then deal with your defense later. Incidentally, don’t make matters worse by snapping the official/officer’s photo (red flag at a bull material). If you have a legitimate case you are more likely to convince a dispassionate person than a raging ego-maniac. Copy the letter you or your smart friend writes to the department to your civil liberties association or elected representative – anyone who will watch how the rules are applied. If they get a number of complaints about the same person then this is a valuable piece of information that they will never get hold of if all you do is wate your time standing toe to toe with Officer McEgo.
If you have no defense then why are you wasting your time? Don’t be angry with a person for doing their job. 'Fess-up, pay-up, chalk it up to experience and get on with life in the areas where you deserve to win.
Take a peek at “10 Most Unreasonable Parking Fines of All time”
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-547350/Tickets-rile---We-reveal-unreasonable-parking-fines-time.html
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Another good post, Betty. The uber athorities I can life with. It is the minor athorities that I want to smack, little mini authorities like the woman who refused to sell my son a high-school bus pass because she did not feel the school he was attending was a "real" school. Grrrr! That was many years ago; however, I still bristle when dealing with the mini-minor authorities.
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