{"id":825,"date":"2014-05-08T11:05:21","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T16:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.extraterrestrialvisitor.com\/?p=825"},"modified":"2015-02-18T08:59:34","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T14:59:34","slug":"outlaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.extraterrestrialvisitor.com\/?p=825","title":{"rendered":"Outlaw"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had dinner with friends on a rainy night at a restaurant \u00a0downtown last week. I had been bragging to them about owning my official Handicapped Parking Permit. It wasn\u2019t easy getting it. Among its many benefits, It\u2019s a trophy for winning the final argument with my doctor.<\/p>\n

\"handitag\"<\/a>I said, \u201cI\u2019m dying for christsakes! You give me less than two years to live, and for that I can\u2019t get a parking permit? Which one is the joke, Doctor?\u201d Pretty compelling.<\/p>\n

With my handicapped permit, I get the best parking spaces right near the entrance of where I\u2019m going. When I can\u2019t find a reserved space, I can park anywhere for as long as I want, after I hang my badge from the rear-view mirror. I don\u2019t even need to read a sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love to reserve park and then skip into the store while tossing and catching my keys. It drives people nuts.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t really do that because my spleen is the size of a loaf of bread, but it makes for a better story.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, I continued to boast while they kept laughing under a light rain. The area was under construction and we serpentined the puddles scattered in the gravel covered road. There were no reserved spots because of the excavation, so I had to park on the street.\u00a0 We got to my car, hugged our goodbyes, and then they pointed to the soggy parking ticket on my windshield. Their laughter echoed on \"parking_cop\"the street while they walked on to their car.<\/p>\n

I called the number on the ticket the next day, explained my situation, and complained about the injustice of the ticket and fine to someone named Leslie. She told me that she\u2019d give me a number and a date to go to the courthouse, see the judge, and explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re kidding, right?. I have to go to the courthouse just because someone made a mistake? The cop didn\u2019t even look to see my handicapped sign. That doesn\u2019t sound fair, Leslie.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could hear her take a deep breath and then she said, \u201cPlease hold sir and I\u2019ll get that appointment time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeslie? Can\u2019t you just throw it away? \u2026. Leslie? \u2026. Come on Leslie. I\u2019m a cripple. \u2026. Leslie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, sir. I can\u2019t. Now if you just \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeslie? \u2026 \u00a0Come on. \u2026 Leslie? \u2026 I could be your Grandpa. You don\u2019t want to give Grandpa a ticket. Do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSir. I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright. I\u2019m going to have to do this the hard way, Leslie. Hey, they record these phone calls, don\u2019t they? Put a flag onto this call if you can, Leslie, because my attorney may need it for my trial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leslie tried to talk sense to me. \u201cIt\u2019s only a twenty-dollar fine sir. They won\u2019t arrest you, but this will cost you more later and if you don\u2019t pay it, it could affect your credit rating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Leslie. Don\u2019t bother with the court appointment. I\u2019m off to fight injustice!\u201d I hung up.<\/p>\n

This shouldn\u2019t happen to handicapped people. I can get along okay, but that isn\u2019t the point. I\u2019m fighting for handicapped AARPies everywhere. I haven\u2019t paid the fine. I mailed a letter in place of my check. Since then, I\u2019ve been cowering behind the window drapes waiting for the authorities to pull into my driveway.<\/p>\n

TO: City of Waukesha, Parking Enforcement Center<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Congratulations crime-fighters!\u00a0 Your dragnet of the evening of 5\/2\/2014 was successful in ticketing a senior citizen for parking with his handicapped permit displayed in the windshield of his car from the rear-view mirror.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to find a place to park let alone walk to a restaurant in downtown Waukesha because of all the street construction.\u00a0 It\u2019s even more difficult, almost impossible, for a man suffering from acute chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. I hope you get to try that sometime in your lifetime. <\/em><\/p>\n

I am not going to pay this fine. If you need to arrest me bring your h\"handicapped_outlaw\"andcuffs and a wheel chair to my home.<\/em><\/p>\n

You should be ashamed of yourself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Come and get me, Coppers.<\/p>\n

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