There are days when you wish your cellphone had a camera. Such was the case a couple of weeks ago. While driving home from dropping my husband off I noticed a pickup truck in the rear view mirror. It was close enough that I could see the man in the driver seat, but far enough away that I thought nothing of it. A few minutes later it seems I glanced in the mirror again.
I saw nothing but grill. The truck couldn’t have been more than a foot away from the rear of the car. It would be one thing if traffic had been thick. But, it wasn’t. We were one a four lane freeway with no congestion. I was in the far right lane doing about sixty with no cars in the lanes beside me. The truck stayed on my ass for at least a half mile then suddenly switched lanes, accelerated and shot in front of me.
And that’s when I saw the fish:
I immediately recalled an incident not along ago where a Christian blogger considered, if only for a moment, rear-ending the person in front of him because the driver had a bumper sticker that was (if I recall correctly) was pro-atheism. Why did I think this? Because I purchased a atheist bumper sticker and put it on my car:
Now, once can be explained away - maybe he hated white cars or Pontiacs and our opposing stickers were coincidental. But, how about twice? I wasn’t the victim this time, but the witness. Another truck with the Jesus fish on the back was about a foot from the rear of another car for no apparent reason (light traffic, open lanes) but one. The tailgated car had a emblem on the bumper. The dreaded Darwin fish (which, btw, is not a defacto statement of atheism):
Yet not a day goes by it seems without a Christian claiming persecution. I can’t help but wonder how many of those with Christian symbols and stickers upon their vehicles thought in terms of “I’d like to put this on my car, but those atheists can be utterly deranged when confronted by a disagreeing viewpoint and I am not licensed to carry.”
Seriously, how many Christians think that Jesus fish might get them ran off the road by a Dodge Ram 1500 with a Reason fish on the back bumper?
I’d wager not many. Yet fear of a religious persons reaction is what seems to keep many atheists (and doubters for that matter) firmly in the closet. These people fear that they’re going to be kicked out, disowned or fired for being a non-believer. They fear being assaulted. They fear having their property vandalized.
Which leads to the questions:
If we atheists are so mean and hostile towards Christians - why is it that are two churches within a mile of my house? Why is there a whole section of the local paper dedicated to telling me where to find Christians? Are Christians who do wear the cross around their neck insane? How about those who put the Jesus fish on cars that could be easily ran over by an atheist in a semi? Why do Christians go door to door selling Jesus? And unarmed at that? You’d think the last thing a Christian would want to stumble upon is an atheist.
At least, if you believe Christians are the persecuted - not the persecutors.
3 Responses
"People who advocate freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are people who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without the awful roar of the thunder and lightning.
Without struggle, there is no progress. This struggle might be a moral one. It might be a physical one. It might be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle.
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. People may not get all that they pay for in this world, but they certainly pay for all that they get." ~ Frederick Douglas
Perhaps it wasn’t a “Christian” Against “Atheist” thing, perhaps it was. The intentions of the Tail-Gating Drivers are unknown unless you asked them, obviously not a realistic process under the circumstances.
I say “Perhaps” to allow for the Possibility that the Tail-Gating Drivers were just the Stupidly Irresponsible and Generally Dangerously type that almost Daily Tail-Gate Motorcyclist with absolutely no concern for our safety what so ever. I’ve even seen their faces with ear-to-ear grins enjoying what they were doing. A picture is worth a thousand words!
While I would never dismiss your conclusions that the said same Idiots found some self-justifying rational for the Stupidly Irresponsible and Generally Dangerous Driving; I never immediately attribute to malice what is as easily attributed to Stupidity.
A simple Suggestion to protect yourself.
A small camera, disposables work great for this, carried in the console or door pocket of your vehicle.
Snap a photo or two over your shoulder and out the back window of your car showing the tail-gating, as well as a photo of the signage on the side of the truck, and of the back of the vehicle where the Tag and any other identifying markings are visible.
I carry a digital in my tank bag on my bike, and always, and have done this, safely.
Take the camera to a Police Station and File A Report with the photos.
Truckers Licenses are a Very Valuable Commodity to Trucking Firms and Drivers get Fired for Much less.
Just a suggestion that I use to get the bastards off the road, if only for a short time.
Dave Dragon
http://davedragon.blogspot.com
Was not my intention to quash debate with the previous comment.
Was this a TMI event?
Dave Dragon
http://davedragon.blogspot.com
Oh, I didn’t take it that way - just didn’t have time to respond at the time. I agree that it’s possible that the opposing stickers were merely coincidental, but I wouldn’t place a bet on that being the case.
The conservative Christians are openly hostile around here. They burn books, protest at the libraries, harass minority groups, vandalize property and other such things pretty routinely.
As to your suggestions, those were good. I doubt the cops would do anything, but perhaps the idea of being photographed being an a-hole would make ‘em think about it the next time, ya know?