Guilt-Free, Gleeful & Sweet Schadenfreude

Except for my arrest in 2011, all my other acts of bad behavior - many just short of felonious - have gone undetected by the law.  There have more than a few of these in my lifetime. How much stuff have you gotten away with that, in retrospect, you know was close to or over that lawful line?

So, because I'm no innocent and been mostly lucky escaping detection, you would be fair calling me a hypocrite for the moment of guilt-free schadenfreude I enjoyed while driving the other day. But first listen to the story, then consider your own past driving misdeeds, and then you are free to judge me.

After nearly side swiping my car, I watched as an unbridled lunatic cut off several other drivers, almost climbing into a few trunks in the process. I couldn't recall the last time I'd witnessed such a dangerous display of road aggression.  Tell the truth now: Have you never wished a convenient police cruiser was nearby in these circumstances? Well dreams do come true. A mile or so down the road, up went my gleeful thumb as I passed a police car, lights flashing, sitting directly behind the maniac. How did I know for sure it was the same driver?

Because the political banner prominently affixed to the back windshield of his car - easily visible as I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting him when he passed me on the right and then lurched in front of me - was likely what put me at the wishing well to start. And though his later driving tantrums were even more reckless, I will not claim the happy ending to this story would have been just as sweet if this reprobate who got just what he deserved had politics more closely aligned with mine. After all, you already have me on hypocrisy so I won't add dishonesty to my list of sins today. I was thrilled - make that ecstatic - this cretin got caught. His politics just made the schadenfreude sweeter.