Tales from the Steppes

2005-12-22

10:15 a.m.
Thursday, December 22

Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
- The Indigo Girls

Last night someone tried to menace me while I was driving on the Beltway. The other driver was in what I like to refer to as a "big ass SUV." You know the ones - they suck up gas, barely fit in normal parking spaces, and the drivers (and bumpers) sit higher than a standard vehicle. Oh wait, that is a different rant - I'll get to that another time.

So there I was, minding my own business, driving around the Beltway. I was going the prevailing speed - not too fast, not too slow. There were cars in front of me, so even if I had some great desire to drive much faster, I couldn't. I tend to be a compulsive mirror scanner so I had noted the aforementioned big ass SUV behind me. Because the headlights are higher than in a normal car. I guess this is so the driver can see where they are going when out in the wilderness that they need that 4 wheel drive for. Ok ok, I'll stop now.

The car was a reasonable distance behind me and had been for a few exits when it started to accelerate right at the rear of my car. In a sustained way - not just the oops my foot hit the accelerator as I was doing whatever. It roared up behind me, with it's blinding halogens set on high beams ('cause it's so freakin dark on the Beltway that you can't see without super duper headlights). Hmmm, nowhere to go in traffic. Guess it must be that invisible red VW thing again. So I put on my brakes, hoping this would give the driver a clue. While I do know the International Sign Language signals to indicate my displeasure, my mother actually did bring me up better than that.

It did work, sort of. They sat on my bumper for a bit before backing off, but at least they did not ram me.

And then it occurred to me - this was intentional poor behavior, not just standard bad driving. Let's see, I didn't cut them off, I was minding my own business, not talking on my cell phone, what was the problem? The only thing I could come up with is that they did not appreciate my "Impeach Bush" bumper sticker.

Yes, I remember going on about stupid bumper stickers several months ago. If this is my greatest hypocracy in life, then I will not feel too bad. I still think most bumper stickers are retarded and do not feel that this one is particularly clever either. However, it is directly to the point I wish to express without being disrespectful and rude. Sure, I think Bush is a moron and a liar, but this isn't the point. I have tons of clever bumper stickers, voicing my opinions on a variety of subjects - my favorites are "Cthulhu in 2004 - Why vote for the lesser of two evils?" and a pink "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get one."

But I don't put these on my car. I chose the "Impeach Bush" sticker for a reason - it calls for an action, not merely voicing my opinion. I think we liberals are often far too nice for our own good. Sure, we'll call Bush names and laugh at his misuse of words. But do anything? Not nearly enough given his crimes, and I do mean crimes in the technical sense, not merely moral. Most of my liberal friends agree with me but are still shocked that I would go so far as to actually advocate this action. How shocking! Seeking a political solution to a political problem, not treating the issues as merely moralistic. It is the sort of thing a conservative would do, which may be why they tend to be more effective.

Now I do not kid myself about the effectiveness of my actions. My stupid bumpersticker will not change the world - it may just draw the attention of the local constabulary. But maybe it will make other people think that we could actually do something instead of suffering through a president that authorized domestic spying and condoned torture, after removing a dictator, in part, because he was torturing his citizens. At least he left a few for us.

And perhaps I can find time to do something a little more myself. I do not believe the effort of putting a bumper sticker on my car has worn me out. Surely if I believe this, I can actually take action of some sort. Time, as always, is the question.

And no, I am not done with my Christmas shopping. But I am done with my ranting.