My shame... (Vehicular harassment by a Bush supporter)...

[Cooley Hurd]

This happened over a month ago, but I haven't been able to post about it until now (I've been troubled by my own behavior). Let me preface this by saying I have 3 bumper stickers on my company vehicle - a "Kerry-Edwards" sticker, a DU sticker and another that said "Support our Troops - Impeach Bush!" Anyhow, I was driving north on I-87 in upstate NY when some ninny in an SUV came up on my left, drove along side of me, and beeped his horn while giving me a "thumbs-down." I looked over at him and did a fake yawn, as well as giving him a dismissive wave of my hand. He then flipped me the bird, to which I responded in kind. He then swerved at me! I rolled down my window and yelled, "What the FUCK is your issue?!?"

He yelled back, "Pull over, you fucking piece of shit!"

"You got it, asshole," I screamed back at him.

I got off at the exit for Warrensburg and immediately pulled over, slammed on my brakes, grabbed my crutch (was still healing from breaking my leg last winter) and got out of my car. He got out of his, but didn't approach me because, at that point, being as angry as I was, I was holding my crutch like a baseball bat.

Trembling, I screamed, "You wanna fuck with me, asshole? Who the fuck do you think you are, swerving at my car?!?"

"You flipped me off!" he yelled.

"You flipped me off first, asshole!"

He then had the audacity to say, "That's why you Democrats never win elections, because you resort to name calling (referring to me repeatedly calling him an asshole) all the time!"

"What else can I say? You're an asshole!!!" I shot back.

He got back into his Jeep, flipped me off again, and sped away.

My shame? I had a great opportunity to debate this dick, yet I let my emotions get the best of me. I felt like he won... :( I've been bummed about it ever since...

[imax2268]

1. next time...

if someone swerves at you again...make a call to the police and tell them what's going on...give them a description of the vehicle and the tag number...
Then let that asshole get pulled over for being...an asshole...

I would never get out of the car...especially if someone yells at me to pull over...It would be much more fun to report them to the police and let them get in trouble for road rage...!

[Cooley Hurd]

4. The only problem with that is the police NEVER follow up...

They'll take the info from you, but then the complaint goes into a black hole, never to be seen again. As far as pulling over and getting out of my car, I was soooooo rattled that I wasn't thinking straight. I just felt RAGE (after being swerved at, not to mention everything that's welled inside of me for the last 3 1/2 years)!

[DemoTex]

13. Dial *HP or 911 and report an extreme DUI.

Describe the car, the location and direction of travel, and tag number. That might get a response. So what if the asshole isn't really DUI, he is still a menace to other motorists. I'd do it in a heatbeat.

[Longhorn]

14. Good suggestion!

Anyone behaving that way could very well be drunk, especially swerving like that!

[Bunny]

2. Oh believe me, you have no opportunity to debate him.

H was in no condition to be reasonable in any way. Although you may be troubled by your behavior, you did react in self-defense when he tried to run you off the road.

I think you may have been better off if you'd gotten his plate number and called 911 on your cell phone. Confronting one of these ass-clowns face to face can be deadly. But don't beat yourself up. These people have been able to goad us into behavior that we normally would not do. We have to try and remain calm. We are on the right side here.

[DivinBreuvage]

3. Well, of course it's always dangerous to confront another motorist...

but still, I think you should feel good that you had the courage to stand up to him. And, if it ever happens again, this will have been a lesson that will enable you to keep a cooler head next time and slaughter him (figuratively) with facts.

[T Wolf]

5. it is impossible

to argue or even discuss issues with shits like this. The better choice would be to call the police and maybe get them some official trouble.

Being prone to rage myself, it may feel good for a little while, but unless you actually impact them, it is like "pissing into the wind" (thanks, Mel Brooks).

[cybildisobedience]

6. don't be ashamed

I think it's rather remarkable that you actually subjected yourself to a ranting lunatic, in a forum or setting where he had the opportunity to do you actual harm. It's very brave -- particularly since you were still on crutches!!!
And I think it's great that the word is getting out that we won't just lie down and take it anymore. If anything, we're fighting back with a vengeance this time.
Good for you --
just call the police next time....

[The Traveler]

7. No shame, bud

You didn't back down when confronted a bully who thinks road rage is a legitimate debating tactic. I want peace like Ghandi but I myself am done with the backing down before the goons tactic.

He won nothing. Like must bullies, he ran off spouting nonsense when confronted.

Ashamed of ya? Hell no. If you are ever way down south here in Atlanta, I'll buy ya a beer.

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. I know you're ashamed....

but as the other posters have said, this asshole is far past the point of drinking major amounts of Kool-Aid. There was no reasoning with him.

I admire your fearlessness in the face of intimidation, wielding that crutch like a weapon.

I've been tempted to do that here before, but down here, people carry guns.

Don't be ashamed. You stood up to a bully and he backed down. There's nothing wrong with that. Just be careful. We need you in November!

FSC

[Warpy]

9. Lucky you had the crutch

Or this asshole might have gotten violent.

Forget about debate. Screaming lunatics don't debate, they assault. These people are dangerous.

[quaoar]

10. Next time keep a Louisville Slugger in the car

Or maybe one of those Tasers.

Seriously, the mistake was in pulling over. That asshole might have had a gun. Clearly he's the one who should feel ashamed. And, who knows, considering how he backed off, he may have figured he had taken it a bit too far.

But I sure wouldn't try to debate a psycho who tried to run me off the road.

[zulchzulu]

11. The thug didn't want to debate you, he wanted to assault you

You did fine. I personally would not have pulled over...I would have gotten his license plate, called 911 and reported his ass, all the while smiling at him while flipping the bird.

[Hobarticus]

12. No shame...confront them!

Didn't Al Franken challenge some GOP shill to a fight, when he said that Dems won't fight? The coward backed down!

We must confront their aggressive tactics at every turn. Don't yield an inch. I guarantee you that jackass won't do THAT again.

Hee hee...I'm hardly a violent person, but can you imagine what he thought to see you get out of your car with a crutch? "Holy crap, he's got a bum leg and he'd STILL come at me???"

[lukasahero]

15. A perfect example of the hypocrisy

of these idiots. I don't think you should be ashamed (although I would suggest, as many here have, you not pull over next time - these people do love their guns remember.)

Back to the hypocrisy. He started the whole thing in the first place and tries to blame it on you. He flips you off but argues that he tried to ram you because you flipped him off. He tries to RAM you over a gesture - the latter may have annoyed him, the former may have killed you. Yeah, ok, I see the comparison.

Good for you for standing up to this idiot, but please, next time think about your safety first (we need you voting in the next election ;) )

[Cooley Hurd]

16. Thanks to all for the kind words...

It really bothered me that I let him get the best of me, so much so that I wasn't willing to talk about this (here) for so long. I kept thinking to myself, "what would my hero, Franklin Roosevelt, think of my behavior that day?" FDR would've killed the man with kindness, and then decimated him in a debate, all the while smiling that FDR grin. But then I thought that, if anyone verbally and literally attacked FDR in the way that this goon attacked me, FDR's son, Jimmy, would beaten the man to a pulp (Jimmy wanted to clock Herbert Hoover for intentionally making FDR stand and wait for him for a half hr on Inauguration Day, 1932)...

And DemoTex, I will certainly do what you suggested next time - excellent idea!:thumbsup: