I nearly dipped my bag in the brew

I asked the uniformed cop in front of the White House nicely: “May I take your picture.”

“No.”

“What if I do?”

“If you do, I break your camera.”

“I’ll sue you if you do that.”

“Sue me.”

There was a Tea Party protest not far off and I thought immediately of joining them, of recounting this sordid tale of governmental oppression. Down with tyrants!

I thought also of snapping his photo just to see what happens, but he was a real thug–hunched shoulders, snarly, short.  

His partner came over. “Can I take your picture?” I asked his partner. “I prefer you didn’t.” “All right,” I said. “Because you said it nicely.” “Okay,” he said, smiling.

Then the thug says, “I’m willing to let it go. Get lost. Get lost!”

My water was boiling and my bag was ready to drop: Fear no tyrant! I leveled the camera.

But the kettle lifted before the whistle began. 

I went back to the hotel and ranted to my wife over the phone, the poor girl. I went on for a while.

Meanwhile, you’re on camera everywhere you go in D.C. Did anyone ever ask you how you felt about that?

Questions: Tyranny on their part? Or puerile frustration on my part? Or both? It’s always others who are tyrants, isn’t it?

I know! I’ll show that bastard. I’ll blog about it! It’s what Thomas Paine would have done.