A Moment In The Rear View Mirror

I have never gotten a traffic ticket. Never. So, you can image what I was thinking when I saw him in the rear view mirror.

I was sitting at a traffic light minding my own business, and thinking about where I might go for dinner that night. On Sirius radio Sean Hannity rebuked an uninformed caller who wanted to make a non-point. He was such an easy target for the Master to take down in a rapid barrage of facts and sound bites.

The light turned green and I turned left . . . so did the Houston PD cruiser at my tailgate. Several hundred feet down the street we caught another traffic signal. As I sat there I glanced into the mirror and noticed the officer motioning to me, pointing at the rear of my red Ranger and making a rectangular shape with his hands.

Was my license plate missing? Was a tail light broken?

I made an exaggerated shoulder shrug to let him know that I didn't understand. Then I heard something. A loud, indistinguishable, tinny sound. As I turned Hannity down on the radio my eyes shifted back to the mirror. This shaven-head middle-aged protector of the peace was now holding his microphone in-hand and smiling at me . . .

In a deep, authoritative voice he then repeated the comment over his PA system for all to hear . . . "I really like your Reagan For President bumper sticker!"

Jeez! I laughed out loud and gave him a thumbs up. He grinned, gave me a wave and we went our separate ways as traffic began to move.

As I continued to drive I felt relief. I also felt encouragement. I knew that my conservative beliefs and love of the constitution were shared by another Texan, a man in blue that I encountered for only a moment in the rear view mirror.