Equal Protection Under The Law!

[Grammour Boy]

This morning on my drive to work I along with a bunch of other drivers were stopped twice by the police due to a funeral procession which had two police car escorts; and they stopped traffic to allow the procession to pass. This got me questioning why I pay taxes only to have it misued to pay for a police escort for what I assumed must have been a state employee's funeral. My friend who died last year didn't get a police escort at his funeral procession. Why were I and the other motorists inconvenienced for one particular funeral? I think this is blatant misuse and abuse of the powers of the state for one particular individual. I truly believe that it violates my dead friend's constitutional rights of equal protection under the law.

 

[Big Dick McGee]

Yes, you're right, you should storm the gates of your local City Hall and shoot your mayor with a Super Soaker Water gun. That'll learn 'em.

 

[Ogami]

I would think the person most inconvenienced by the funeral would be the one in the coffin.

 

[HeroicFool]

Nah, I'm quite sure he didn't mind at all Ogami

 

[SSgt_Sniper]

This morning on my drive to work I along with a bunch of other drivers were stopped twice by the police due to a funeral procession which had two police car escorts; and they stopped traffic to allow the procession to pass. This got me questioning why I pay taxes only to have it misued to pay for a police escort for what I assumed must have been a state employee's funeral. My friend who died last year didn't get a police escort at his funeral procession. Why were I and the other motorists inconvenienced for one particular funeral? I think this is blatant misuse and abuse of the powers of the state for one particular individual. I truly believe that it violates my dead friend's constitutional rights of equal protection under the law.

You have to ask. If the procession will be going through areas where it could be dangerous (busy intersections, busy time of day and what not) usually they will be happy to have at least one officer escort your funeral here.

 

[Grammour Boy]

at what cost?

 

[HeroicFool]

The whole idea of funeral processions is stupid to begin with...

I'm not sure if it's religious ritual or just to keep stupid SOB's from getting lost on the way to the cemetary.

 

[SSgt_Sniper]

at what cost?

They never made anyone I know pay. It's more a safety thing. If the way from the church/funeral home to the cemetery is going to take you through very busy areas, they'd rather do it anyway than risk a problem.

 

[Donovan]

In NY State it's customary for funerals to get the right-of-way simply due to the numbers of vehicles and the convenience all the drivers on that route, not just those at cross streets. Suppose you are burying a loved one and you missed the whole thing because you got stuck at a long light and they started without you?

I've always considered it a very minor inconvenience and a show of respect to yield to a funeral. After all, no matter how big a rush you're in now, sooner or later you'll be riding that same line pissing off some other driver on his way to someplace terribly important...

 

[Grammour Boy]

I guess...I wasn't going anywhere important anyway. I was on my way to work to read and post on TK.

Anyway, sargent, I've seen several processions through that same route and time and only about 2% of them have had police escorts. I've also seen the non-escorted processions not obey traffic lights. They just put on their headlights and they put some kind of flag on the roof of all the vehicles and away they go...free to break every traffic law in the book.