I had my first up-close and personal experience today with Trump Derangement Syndrome, and it was scary enough that I thought it merited a post of its own. I want all of us to understand the danger we are in, in the most innocuous of circumstances.
As most of you are probably aware, I live in a very small town in Montana. The big town, Missoula, is where I sometimes have to go to get things I don’t want to wait for by mail. Today I needed some craft supplies, which I ordered and planned to pick up curbside in the “big city.” The DH decided to go with me, thank God, considering what happened.
There is a very over-crowded five-lane road out to the shopping area. Today like most days there was a lot of traffic. I was traveling in the right hand lane at about thirty-five miles an hour, when I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a pickup truck barreling towards me VERY fast, probably fifty at least. I watched for at least 2-3 seconds, and it seemed like the driver was hesitating back and forth for a second, and then gunned it. I had time to say “shit, she’s gonna hit me,” and then she rammed me hard! Thank God I saw it coming, so I was able to control the car.
The truck pulled up next to me and then past, braking and then pulling ahead, and then braking again. I thought about it for a second and then realized, OMG, the bumper sticker!
I have one bumper sticker on my car, on the driver’s side bumper. It says “Trump 2020, Make Liberals Cry Again.” I know, I know, but I live in a SMALL, mostly conservative town. And it’s funny.
I was still driving onward, and the truck pulled into my lane in front of me, still braking periodically. I had backed off them as best I could. I said, “honey, that was ON PURPOSE,” and explained why I thought so. The truck pulled into the gas station on the corner, and DH made me follow, driving past where they parked and on into the shopping center parking area. He already had 911 on the phone. He isn’t afraid of anything, he’s a life-long martial artist, but I was scared. If he hadn’t been with me, I doubt I would have stopped. Not worth it to confront somebody that crazy.
DH got out of the car and headed toward the pickup. The man in the passenger seat was already out of the truck with a crowbar, trying to pry the bumper off his tire. Next thing I know, this young woman pulls up next to me, gets out and says “I saw that, do you want me to hang around?” I could have kissed her!
DH was talking to the man with the crowbar, and on the phone at the same time. He told me later that the guy was pushing him to exchange insurance info, saying they were “in a hurry.” The cops arrived really fast. First one car, then two. DH is sure they were trying to get the bumper pried back so they could flee, but the cops were already there.
The man lied to the cops and said he was driving, which the witness (God Bless her) contradicted, as did I. I saw her in the driver’s seat when they went past me on the road. The cop who was taking statements and filling out paperwork was the only person I talked to. The other cop was all over the couple from the pickup. He never walked away from them. Within about five minutes, a THIRD policeman showed up. He went over with the couple, too. The two cops bracketed those people until we left.
The witness, who was a very sweet woman, looked at the pickup and said “uh-oh, they’re from Washington State.” I thought, oh boy, I wonder what part? Seattle maybe?
The paperwork cop told us “the other cops are just here because of the lying thing,” and that he was going to “cite” the driver. He said he wanted to get us “on our way.” The other two cops had still not moved from the truck couple. They were still there when I drove away.
My car was drive-able, so when the cop gave us the paperwork we needed, we left. I was so shaken I didn’t even glance at the paperwork until I got home. The address given was Arlington, Washington, a suburb of Seattle! I KNEW IT!
I plan to check the jail roster tomorrow to see if there was an arrest of either of the two. I have both names because the lying man wrote his name on the paperwork when he was claiming HE was driving.
Be careful out there people! Trump Derangement is REAL!
(@rising_serpent) 
