Finally, what about the "at the barrel of a gun" statement? Is it that bad in Texas (again, evidence of a police state)?
A common colloquialism used throughout the south since before the revolutionary war. Similar in connotation to
shotgun wedding although generally used in a different context. In the context it was used here anyone in Texas would NOT take it literally. Rather he was angry after demanding a jury trial that his peers found him guilty and he was assessed a penalty by the judge. The
gun to his head being the fact he had to pay the fine or he could be penalized with additional fines, and possibly even held in contempt of court and incarcerated.
I suspected he just said it ion jest. But, given the ridiculous amount he had to pay for just going 9 mph over the limit, I can certainly understand him feeling that way.
And, given that you STILL have not answered the question as to what options one has after receiving a citation, I looked it up via a google search, and here it is:
"What do I do if get a traffic ticket in Texas?
After getting a traffic ticket, you must decide how you will plead. You have three options: guilty, no contest or not guilty. The first two options require you to pay the ticket on or before your scheduled court appearance. If you decide to plead not guilty, learn more on how to fight your traffic ticket. No matter how you decide to plead, just be sure you do so by the date listed on your citation. Ignoring the traffic ticket could lead to a warrant for your arrest."
So, just as I thought, things are rather confining in Texas. One cannot choose to mediate a violation like in Washington, and thus have an excellent chance of getting the fine reduced. I suspect he took the third choice, as if he selected either one of the first two, he would have been required to pay the ridiculous $212 fine either before he went to court, or when he went. I suspect for the third choice, he was given some time to pay the fine.
This also shows, as I stated previously, that Texas wastes tax payers' money, by having a jury trial! In Washington, it is much simpler, cleaner, and there is no jury present when one contests it, or in some cases (like we did for my wife's bogus ticket), one can contest it via the mail. That is definitely a wise use of taxpayers' money.
