STUPID LAWS, irresponsible lawmakers?

I'm outraged and on a rant. A 20 year old father of a two year old child is dead because, in my opinion, the Minnesota Legislature, instead of doing something worthwhile with the time we pay them for, enacted an open-ended law that begs for selective enforcement. Here's my quick and dirty root cause analysis, starting with a link to the law in question: 

169.71 WINDSHIELD.

Although I suggest you go read the entire section, the most germane provisions are these:

Subdivision 1.Prohibitions generally; exceptions.

(a) A person shall not drive or operate any motor vehicle with:

(1) a windshield cracked or discolored to an extent to limit or obstruct proper vision;

(2) any objects suspended between the driver and the windshield, other than:

(i) sun visors;

(ii) rearview mirrors;

(iii) driver feedback and safety monitoring equipment when mounted immediately behind, slightly above, or slightly below the rearview mirror;

(iv) global positioning systems or navigation systems when mounted or located near the bottommost portion of the windshield;

(v) electronic toll collection devices; and

(vi) an identifying device as provided in section 169.58, subdivision 5, when the device is mounted or located near the bottommost portion of the windshield; or

(3) any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, sidewings, or side or rear windows of the vehicle, other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or authorized by the state director of the Division of Emergency Management or the commissioner of public safety.

(b) Paragraph (a), clauses (2) and (3), do not apply to law enforcement vehicles.

(c) Paragraph (a), clause (2), does not apply to authorized emergency vehicles.

So we have prohibitions, with exceptions, and exceptions to the prohibitions. Why might any Minnesotan not realize what's the law and the prohibitions? Well, one instance might be found in those who purchase a Minnesota State Park annual sticker, which, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources web site must meet these:

Requirements

All vehicles entering a state park must display a valid Minnesota State Park vehicle permit which must be affixed to the lower right hand corner of the windshield. 

Notice there's no language about attached in such a way that the driver's vision isn't blocked, which, presumably is the reason for the prohibition on objects suspended between the driver and the windshield. Since there's also an exception for attaching toll transponders, one might presume that anything that can make a public entity money is legal and it isn't really about the driver's vision as much as it is about making sure there's clear places to put state park permits and toll transponders.

There's another aspect to this whole situation about which I'm extremely concerned. If police have enough time on their hands to check for objects hanging from a rear view mirror, isn't it fair to ask if we have police with too much time on their hands? Can checking for air fresheners really be a priority while on patrol? Don't they have any significant crimes to investigate? Couldn't the Republicans sponsor a tax cut to reduce police force size? Do we really need local police, county sheriffs, park and transit police and highway patrol and heaven knows what else with excuses to pull drivers over and pull guns on them for a poorly crafted excuse for a traffic stop? Is that really the best Minnesota can do? Whatever happened to "A State  That Works?"

Perspective

By Amy King

When I see the two cops laughing 

after one of them gets shot

because this is TV and one says

while putting pressure on the wound,

Haha, you're going to be fine,

and the other says, I know, haha!, 

as the ambulance arrives—

I know the men are white.

I think of a clip from the hours 

of amateur footage I've seen

when another man at an intersection

gets shot, falls, and bleeds from a hole

the viewer knows exists only by the way 

the dark red pools by the standing cop's feet,

gun now holstered, who

yells the audience back to the sidewalk.

I know which one is dying 

while black and which one stands by white. 

I think this morning about the student 

in my class who wrote a free write line 

on the video I played

that showed a man pouring water

on his own chest, "...the homoerotic 

scene against a white sky" with no other men 

present. Who gets to see and who follows

what script? I ask my students. 

Whose lines are these and by what hand

are they written?

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