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[zompist]

That is certainly a good start. Unfortunately to the best of my memory, the weather was pretty good that day with nothing like wind or rain that could affect the radar reading. One major problem is that I already acknowledged that I was speeding when the cop pulled me over. I will need to explain why I confessed to speeding when I ostensibly didn't.

Never answer a cop's leading questions. ("Do you know why I pulled you over?")

Is your lawyer going to be in court with you?

[lëtzeshark]

Random: I had a bit of an unusual experience getting a flu shot on Tuesday... or at least unusual compared to other places I've gotten vaccinations.

More: show

(1) Found a local doctor listed as a "vaccination center", so made an appointment, mentioning I needed a flu shot and a Covid booster. Confirmed pretty instantly.
(2) I arrive at the doctor's office a bit early (which is usual for me, because I hate being late for appointments). Paid for the consultation.
(3) I get called in a bit early and then get given a prescription for a flu vaccine and told to go to the pharmacy on the ground floor of the building to buy the vaccine (?).
(4) I go to that pharmacy, but they were out of stock and sent me to another pharmacy about 5 minutes' walk away.
(5) Second pharmacy does have them, and they give a slender box with a pre-filled syringe to be administed by a GP. I pay for the vaccine, then head back to the doctor's office. (Total time between leaving the doctor's office and returning is about 20 minutes.)
(6) I give them the vaccine box, and then they take it out (pre-filled syringe, so no prep) and administer the vaccine (no need for another appointment) along with a Covid booster (which I asked for, but they had that in stock).

The strange thing, to me, is more the buying the vaccine and taking it to the doctor rather than the doctor having it in stock (which was more the case when I did it last year). At least the whole thing was rather inexpensive: I paid ~€25 for everything, roughly €8 for the GP visit (the standard price in Luxembourg) and €17 for the vaccine.

[Civil War Bugle]

Was the radar gun used calibrated recently? If not, it could be considered unreliable.
- https://www.jeffjarrettlaw.com/blog/str ... on-errors/

That is certainly a good start. Unfortunately to the best of my memory, the weather was pretty good that day with nothing like wind or rain that could affect the radar reading. One major problem is that I already acknowledged that I was speeding when the cop pulled me over. I will need to explain why I confessed to speeding when I ostensibly didn't.

Given that my rent is already increasing next year, I really can't afford (quite literally) a spike in my car insurance. Losing this case will genuinely force me into homelessness and starvation.

Note that the weather is one thing but not the only thing which could affect the accuracy of the radar gun. As the blog points out, the radar gun's reading could have been affected by e.g. other cars, in addition to being affected by the weather. Also, the gun itself may have been poorly maintained or improperly calibrated such that it wouldn't given a proper reading regardless of environmental factors such as weather or presence of other cars.

If your lawyer is going to be with you, and is at least minimally competent, he or she will probably be considering the above possibilities and other details of your case and giving you good advice, so I would suggest keeping the relationship with the lawyer until you get all this straightened out.

[naz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiNz3tALmo8

Review of Zbalermorna, a script used for Lojban

[malloc]

The other major issue is having to take off work to attend court. My workplace will undoubtedly resist any unscheduled time off given the constant backlog of wafers that need refining and sorting. They will especially object if I'm facing criminal charges. That itself might prove grounds for firing me on the spot and it will certainly put me on the shortlist for lay-offs. It seems I have quite a difficult needle to thread to continue living: winning a court case despite no credible defense while also convincing my boss to refrain from holding my absence against me.

Unfortunately my attempts to find another apartment yielded little and I had to renew my lease with this one to avoid the renewal deadline. The rent increase will definitely make my budget much tighter which is why I must avoid an increase on my car insurance as well. Even then, I will have to find something to cut in my budget. The maintenance people did say that they will get around to patching the ceiling next week at least.

[alice]

The other major issue is having to take off work to attend court. My workplace will undoubtedly resist any unscheduled time off given the constant backlog of wafers that need refining and sorting. They will especially object if I'm facing criminal charges. That itself might prove grounds for firing me on the spot and it will certainly put me on the shortlist for lay-offs. It seems I have quite a difficult needle to thread to continue living: winning a court case despite no credible defense while also convincing my boss to refrain from holding my absence against me.

Those with better knowledge of US law should correct me here, but:

1. Are there not laws in the USA mandating time off work for court cases? What happens it someone is called up for jury duty on a potentially tricky case, for example?
2, The "constant backlog of wafers" is ultimately their problem to organise, not yours.
3. "will undoubtedly", "will especially", and "will certainly" are surely legally circumscribed (see 1), and "might" is somewhat improbable.

[malloc]

1. Are there not laws in the USA mandating time off work for court cases? What happens it someone is called up for jury duty on a potentially tricky case, for example?

There is quite a difference between jury duty and facing criminal charges. I would have to consider myself lucky if they don't fire me simply for that.

2, The "constant backlog of wafers" is ultimately their problem to organise, not yours.

They simply don't agree. They are already frustrated with me for failing to keep up with surging production quotas.

[zompist]

1. Are there not laws in the USA mandating time off work for court cases? What happens it someone is called up for jury duty on a potentially tricky case, for example?

There is quite a difference between jury duty and facing criminal charges. I would have to consider myself lucky if they don't fire me simply for that.

Do you still have a lawyer? Note that you can ask them about things like this.

What was your plan about telling your boss? "I'm being tried as a criminal in criminal court for the crimes I did, can I have the day off?" Don't say that. Say you have a traffic ticket and you're required to be in court. You do not owe them details.

[malloc]

What was your plan about telling your boss? "I'm being tried as a criminal in criminal court for the crimes I did, can I have the day off?" Don't say that. Say you have a traffic ticket and you're required to be in court. You do not owe them details.

Doesn't that amount to the same thing? They will know that I'm facing criminal charges regardless of whether I specify the details beyond a traffic ticket.

[zompist]

What was your plan about telling your boss? "I'm being tried as a criminal in criminal court for the crimes I did, can I have the day off?" Don't say that. Say you have a traffic ticket and you're required to be in court. You do not owe them details.

Doesn't that amount to the same thing? They will know that I'm facing criminal charges regardless of whether I specify the details beyond a traffic ticket.

It's a speeding ticket. Almost everyone has gotten one at one point or another.

[Nortaneous]

Is it a speeding ticket or misdemeanor reckless driving?

If it's a speeding ticket, it's mostly a tax. It's understood by everyone that governments will set unrealistically low speed limits that are to be ignored, and that sometimes they'll want to raise more money by the back door and give traffic cops quotas for fines. Obviously neither Mozi nor Confucius would approve of this, but it shouldn't be news to anyone that all existing Western governments have lost the Way. You drew the short straw and have to pay an extra $150 or whatever of tax this year.

If it's the kind of thing it's reasonable to go to court about, either your insurance is much snippier about premiums than mine or it's not just a speeding ticket.

[Travis B.]

Is it a speeding ticket or misdemeanor reckless driving?

If it's a speeding ticket, it's mostly a tax. It's understood by everyone that governments will set unrealistically low speed limits that are to be ignored, and that sometimes they'll want to raise more money by the back door and give traffic cops quotas for fines. Obviously neither Mozi nor Confucius would approve of this, but it shouldn't be news to anyone that all existing Western governments have lost the Way. You drew the short straw and have to pay an extra $150 or whatever of tax this year.

If it's the kind of thing it's reasonable to go to court about, either your insurance is much snippier about premiums than mine or it's not just a speeding ticket.

It's just that at the speed malloc was clocked at a court appearance is required in Missouri. That said, malloc can't see that this is only a speeding ticket and not, say, robbing a convenience store.

[malloc]

It's just that at the speed malloc was clocked at a court appearance is required in Missouri. That said, malloc can't see that this is only a speeding ticket and not, say, robbing a convenience store.

You mean to say that my boss cannot tell the difference between those things. He already has plenty of reason to ditch me, from numerous human errors over the years to regularly missing production quotas. Criminal charges are an obvious final straw.

[Travis B.]

It's just that at the speed malloc was clocked at a court appearance is required in Missouri. That said, malloc can't see that this is only a speeding ticket and not, say, robbing a convenience store.

You mean to say that my boss cannot tell the difference between those things. He already has plenty of reason to ditch me, from numerous human errors over the years to regularly missing production quotas. Criminal charges are an obvious final straw.

Goddammit, people who aren't in the transportation business don't get fired over simple speeding tickets, but you are so dead-set on catastrophizing that you don't see this.

[Raphael]

Right now, I'm trying very hard to fight back against the temptation to go full Four Yorkshiremen over this.

[Lērisama]

Right now, I'm trying very hard to fight back against the temptation to go full Four Yorkshiremen over this.

When I were a lad, people didn't have to go full Four Yorkshiremen over this because we already lived it!

[alice]

Right now, I'm trying very hard to fight back against the temptation to go full Four Yorkshiremen over this.

When I were a lad, people didn't have to go full Four Yorkshiremen over this because we already lived it!

Aye, and you were lucky just to have lived it! Some of us had to endure it as well!

[malloc]

Goddammit, people who aren't in the transportation business don't get fired over simple speeding tickets, but you are so dead-set on catastrophizing that you don't see this.

But they do get fired for missing work on top of criminal convictions. Also, this is Missouri, a much nastier state than Wisconsin, let alone Illinois.

[zompist]

Goddammit, people who aren't in the transportation business don't get fired over simple speeding tickets, but you are so dead-set on catastrophizing that you don't see this.

But they do get fired for missing work on top of criminal convictions. Also, this is Missouri, a much nastier state than Wisconsin, let alone Illinois.

Can you name two people you know who were fired for going to court for a traffic ticket?

Eddy, I know it's hard to believe, but other people exist in this world, have had the same tribulations you have, and know how things work.

Given that you have a lawyer, you should be going over all this with him, not with us, and follow his advice.

[jcb]

It's just that at the speed malloc was clocked at a court appearance is required in Missouri. That said, malloc can't see that this is only a speeding ticket and not, say, robbing a convenience store.

You mean to say that my boss cannot tell the difference between those things. He already has plenty of reason to ditch me, from numerous human errors over the years to regularly missing production quotas. Criminal charges are an obvious final straw.

You know what your boss hates worse than human errors and missing production quotas? Losing more production time because he fired you, and spending more time training a new hire. The fact that you're already trained is a boon to your cause.

Also, don't wait until the last moment to notify your boss that you'll need the day off. The earlier you can tell him, the easier he can make the schedule accommodate it.