Speed Limits and Other Laws We Don't Care About

I borrowed this from a monologue one of my characters (Elaine Frost) in Living Next Door to Heaven, Book 7, Hearthstone Entertainment delivered. It’s worth repeating.

Let’s talk about the law. The speed limit is 70.

It’s posted on a sign right beside the Interstate

But you need to read the fine print.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless you are in a hurry;

Unless you are late;

Unless it’s an emergency.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless you only push it a little;

Unless you are a better driver than most people;

Unless other drivers are really idiots.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless you drive a sports car;

Unless you used to drive a sports car;

Unless you want to drive a sports car.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless they don’t ticket until you are ten over;

Unless it’s late at night;

Unless no one else is around.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless it’s a dumb law;

Unless it’s really just a suggestion;

Unless the DOT made a mistake.

Unless you are going downhill;

Unless there is a car right in front of you and you just don’t like following someone;

Unless you are in the FAST LANE.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless you’re nearly out of gas and need to get home before you run out;

Unless you’re thinking about something else;

Unless you are angry, sad, upset, happy, celebrating, or drunk.

Unless you can afford it;

Unless you know someone who can fix it;

Unless you have a really good lawyer.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless you have to pee;

Unless there’s a storm coming;

Unless your time is more important than speed limits.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless everybody goes faster;

Unless you’re just sticking with traffic;

Unless you just want to get there.

Unless you drive for a living;

Unless you don’t drive for a living;

Unless they’re not serious;

Unless your wife made you do it;

Unless your speedometer is broken;

Unless it’s not criminal and you wouldn’t break an IMPORTANT law;

Unless going faster sticks it to the man;

Unless you really just don’t care.

SPEED LIMIT 70

Unless you read the fine print.

(Your mileage may differ.)

I try to stay out of conversations about the current state of the world aside from saying whenever I can that I am anti-racist, anti-fascist, and believe Black lives matter. And if you tell me “All lives matter,” then thank you for agreeing with me. All lives don’t matter if Black lives don’t matter. I saw a post daring people to repost a meme that said ‘Police lives matter.’ I responded with a comment that said, ‘Yeah. All lives matter.’

However, I’ve been hearing a lot of noise about “if people just obeyed the law…” It’s used to justify police brutality by pointing out the person murdered was a bad person and should have obeyed the police orders. Like Breonna Taylor. Right. None of the people murdered by police… Not One!... of any color had been convicted and sentenced to death.

I just want to say that if you are among those who can’t obey the most basic of traffic laws… If you’ve decided you don’t need to follow the rules regarding wearing masks because you know someone who said it wasn’t effective or because it’s a plot of a mythical deep state… If you file residence in a state other than where you live to get cheaper taxes or license plates or voting… If you won’t get your children vaccinated… If you are willing to shoot doctors who perform abortions… If you are a vigilante deciding you can intimidate people into your way of thinking by waving a gun around or showing up with 700 buddies on loud motorcycles… If you are a police officer who won’t enforce mask laws or who believes you are justified in killing a person because you think he or she is a criminal… If you are a politician closing down polling places and opposing mail-in ballots… If you think your religion is more important than our constitution…

DON’T EVER TELL ME YOU ARE FOR LAW AND ORDER!