So the stage was set.
The duel was soon to begin. It
would be to the bitter end. NO quarter would
be given. NO prisoners taken.
Today, I was prepared to lay waste to a ‘law.’ Accentuated by vagueness, I had it in my
sights, dead-to-right. While I may have
preferred to be doing otherwise, given the ‘law’ as it currently stood, I was
envisioning its righteous slaying – I must admit. Nevertheless, I continued to tell myself to
hold steady and not fire until I could see the whites of this section of the
code’s eyes. When it would all come to
fruition, maybe years down the road, I was convinced there would be nothing but
mincemeat of those words that were once part of the VC, ... VC 22400 to be specific. I planned to rip it from the books.
As I entered the venue which appeared as an amusement ride
or a house of horrors – depending on one’s perspective, I had all I could do to
hold my enthusiasm and maintain control on my nerves. I did not want reveal my intentions or
apprehensions relevant to the upcoming battle – as battle was the whole reason
we had come to be together on this morning.
But concurrently I could not help but to think if there would be
repercussions for the killing of this ‘law’ or ‘code.’ For instance, would the system seek retribution
against me if I forcibly ripped a page from its ‘official book,’ I had to
wonder?
As the roller-coaster slowly clinked and clanked its way up
to the summit, I began to become more nervous in anticipation of the outrageous
ride and wild descent that was surely soon to follow. I worried, what if there were reinforcements
afoot to aid this section of code of which I had not discovered and what if these
same reinforcements were lying in wait to ambush me – as if a trap?
I began to wonder if I were in fact the reluctant hunter as I had
believed or if I was soon to become but another of this ‘code’s’ endless prey? Nevertheless, I further entrenched my resolve
to not go on the offensive until I could out-fox the system into displaying
more of this ‘law’s’ weakness to me. At
which point, I would unleash my assault.
As the coaster came to rest and sat on top of the high peak,
all were in anticipation to see who would be the first to squeal in fear. I remember turning away to collect myself for
a moment and, for a split second at least, enjoy the view from the summit as
well. I again quickly reviewed my
weaponry. Red button exposed? Check!
I thought, “I’m ready as I’ll ever be and…, here we go…,’ I was thinking to myself.
“Wait until the g-forces really start to multiply at which
point the arrogance of this ‘law’ will surely further expose its own weaknesses,”
I continued to repeat to myself. At that
unknown and most intense point of the ride – and probably not a moment before –
I was convinced I would have my best shot to forever rid the citizenry of this
menace – especially given how it is currently written, interpreted, and
enforced.
But the roller coaster didn’t go! For what seemed like forever…, we sat at the
peak waiting for the free-fall to begin.
But it didn’t move forward.
I remember waiting in eager anticipation. Then, all of a sudden, it was if something
changed. I wasn’t really sure what was
happening, but it was if the system had somehow become wise to my plans and it
had not anticipated the carnage that could potentially follow the battle which
was about to be had. I mean…, surely the
‘section of the code’ had the power and
ability to return fire and fight back and possibly even overwhelm me and
my stealth plans. But I was sure that I
had an invincible argument.
However, again, it was if the system suddenly realized the
damage I possibly could do to the enforcement of this ‘law’ and the hole that
would be left in its books. That is to say, while in the end this ‘law’ could just
as likely laid waste to me and my plans, it was almost just as likely, if not more likely, that it would be this
‘law’ that would be the casualty of the legal battle that was on the verge of
raging. And one thing of which we can all rest-assured, once
set in motion, I had no intentions of stopping the carnage until this ‘law’ had
become of less worth than the paper upon which it was enacted. Either way, it would be a fairly good bet
that this ‘law’ would likely be unrecognizable to its present form after the
carnage. Surely, only a shell would remain
of what this ‘section of the code’ had historically represented to the system,
and maybe the system didn’t like the thought of it all.
And with that, all of a sudden, the roller coaster apparently
disengaged and the machine clinked and clanked its way backwards from the peak
and returned to the boarding platform. At
which point, the system assured me of my restitution – which is not the worst of
possible endings, of course. And the
system then told me to “get out” and "leave."
Now, somewhat frustratingly, I had no battle to fight on this ‘law.’ As it remains then,
I may no longer have standing to fight the battle anyhow, even if I had desired
to do so. One could liken it all to the
oxygen being removed from a fire. Like…,
being all dressed-up for a big to-do only to have the happening cancelled at the
last moment.
I was well-prepared and heavily-armed with weighty precedents
to fight the battle – which was to transpire on-board the speeding coaster as it
whipped through space and time. However,
the system suddenly seemed to realize – or maybe it knew all along – that its
best offensive against me was its own denial of any issue between us. That…, or maybe it possibly came to like or
respect me, and/or maybe it merely chose to be nice to me instead. Either way, I suppose I will probably never
really know for sure.
But should the reader of this blog find yourself or a friend
in a similar situation where you are pitted against this ‘law’ or ‘section of
the code,’ feel free to contact me.
‘Cause, I might feel inclined to carry through with my plans of removing
that ‘law’ from the public concern.
AVT (beginning of April,
2013)
See:
Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville,
405 U.S.
156, 92 S.Ct. 839 (1972).
V C Section 22400 Minimum Speed Law
Tool - The Pot.
(cool tune and kind’a bizarre unofficial video:)
(Note of May 14, 2022. Try to see the infamous unofficial Tool video here, while it lasts anyhow. https://www.pinkbike.com/video/154728/
It’s worth a look. Maybe search my other blog entries for some thoughts on
copyright laws too. ) : )
