Dear Ernie Chambers,

Situations like this and this are why we need the death penalty.

Sincerely,
Common sense

Highway justice

For I the Lord love justice…
     Isaiah 61:8

My new route to work has a two-lanes-become-one merge point both on the way to work and on my commute home ¹. Typically, the good Nebraskans line up in the through lane and wait their turn, but occasionally somebody who is way more important than us slips into the merging lane and floors it when the light turns green. Usually I'm too many cars back to do anything about it, so I watch helplessly as the "cutter" moves to the front of the line.

But not today.

On the way home, traffic was backed up more than usual northbound on 27th street at Highway 2. I waited my turn, missed the light, and ended up two cars back. As expected, a couple of cars pulled up in the right lane while the rest of us behaved ourselves. When the light changed, the first car gunned it and blew past the guy in front of me. The second car, to my right, tried to speed past me but couldn't. They slowed down, and so did I. They sped up, and so did I. And then they had to turn into the Shopko parking lot when the lane ended.

Maybe there's something wrong with me, but seeing that car get snubbed absolutely made my day. I felt like, at least in some little, insignificant way, that I had participated in the righting of an injustice. Somebody tried to cheat, and I didn't let them get their way.

So, that's my question…. Is there something wrong with me? Am I a huge jerk for not letting that car in? Does it matter (in either direction) that it was a snobby-looking lady driving a Lexus and talking on her cell phone? Or, is there maybe something good and just about turning back a cheater who is breaking the rules to put themselves ahead of everyone else?

thirtysomething

During Pete's "routine checkup"

Dr. Webb: Can Peter count to four?

Amanda: Um, yes.

Dr. Webb: Peter, how high can you count?

Pete: I dunno. Twenty seven? Twenty nine? I'm workin' on my thirties.