This message rejected because it was too long. Therefore I retracted it and
will send it in two parts.
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It's with great sadness that I learned of Paul Newman's death. His
contributions to motorsports; while not on a caliber of, say Phil Hill, are
equally important and will sorely be missed. God's Speed, Paul Newman, and may
every flag be a checkered one.
An interesting story that I feel compelled to write. This could be
subtitled: "The most emberrasing moment in the life of a traffic cop". I am a
retired Deputy Sheriff from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in Reno,
Nevada. I was a "plank holder" in the departments Traffic Section, and
Commander of the Major Accident Investigation Team (M.A.I.T.).
In the early 90's, working graveyard, I stopped a lady for speeding. She was
driving through Pleasant Valley, an urban area south of Reno, at a speed of
about 80 miles an hour in a 50 zone. (I think everybody will agree that I had
probable cause to stop her. {Yea, right! One more ticket and I win the Toaster
Oven! Anybody need a 'Toaster Oven'? I got a garage full of them... I used to
write a lot of tickets!}).
During the time that the national 55 mph speed limit was in effect, Nevada
had a statute on the books (NRS 484.362) called "Wasting a Natural Resource
Presently In Short Supply", or simply "Wasting Energy". If a person were
stopped for a speeding violation, going between 56 and 70mph in a '55 zone',
instead of citing them for a Basic Speed violation we could issue a citation
for "Wasting Energy". For the state (any state for that matter) to retain
their Federal Highway funds, they were expected to write "x" number of
citations per year per registered vehicles. Well, to expect a person to drive
55mph from Vegas to Reno, or Carson City to Ely, hundreds of miles across the
worlds most beautiful deserts, is like asking a normal, healthy male to stop
at the Mustang Ranch and ask for a Coke or Pepsi. Get my point? OK.... Our
legislature came up with this 'Ficticious Violation' to satisfy the
beaurocrats in Washington. Simply expressed, it was a $15.00 fine. It
satisfied the "federal" requirement of writing all those ludicrous tickets,
but didn't go on your driving record as a moving violation and nothing on your
record to raise your insurance rates. Life is beautiful, right?
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