>>I have done that, and it's good advice. Will see if I can reemploy that technique in the future. Either that or avoid heated discussions in the first place when I know I'm in a cranky mood.
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>I've done that too, believe it or not. Even so, sometimes one slips out. I underwent "Verbal Judo" training a few years ago as part of in-service. It is a school of thought that suggests you can gain compliance from non-compliant people by modifying their behavior. One of the basic tenets of VJ is "words that rise naturally to the tongue, are no good!" How true. One scenario is the unspoken word. You know that word the cop didn't say after he gave you the ticket, "have a nice day ...."

LOL

I know exactly what word you mean. In my experience they have usually managed to convey it clearly enough non-verbally ;-) And I have thought the same word back, although of course there would be no percentage in verbalizing it.

It is quite amazing to me that I have not had a ticket of any kind in nearly 20 years. I had plenty before that, and there were plenty more times I could have been caught and wasn't. Maybe it has something to do with no longer driving Corvettes....