Cops Not Funny

Years ago at the Improv comedy club in Washington, DC, I saw a Latino comedian who made a joke about ghetto kids, saying one of the key things they had to learn how to do was "run from the police." Sadly it's no joke, as the recent murder of an unarmed black teenager by a cop in Ferguson, Missouri reminds us. Basically, cops are nuts.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine was driving at night here in Maine, and noticed a cop car obviously following him. He found this unnerving, and smoked a cigarette to calm his nerves. Then, reflexively, he tossed the butt out the car window. Within seconds the siren was wailing and my friend was pulled over and given a citation for littering. It was for something like $130.

Oh please--there are cigarette butts all over the place! In fact, Maine is full of smokers, maybe more than anywhere I have ever lived. There is also no helmet law here for motorcyclists, which makes you think the whole state has a death wish. Anyway, watch out for the fuzz, they are often out for blood.