Reply #13: I think even you missed the point...

[Renaissance Man]

... and that's really sad.

How did a traffic stop for "following too close" end in me being frisked, the entire car being searched, and my driving record being scanned, and no traffic citation? This police officer had other motives -- ensuring the safety of other motorists was the LEAST of them.

You're feeding into the meme that somehow being macho (some call it uppity or lippy, or whatever) equates with actually asserting your constitutional and Civil rights. In this situation, that police officer was wrong. Me not "getting in trouble" came at a cost of my own personal dignity and integrity being questioned, even if only temporarily.

That may not mean much to you, but it means the world to me.