Caught Riding Dirty

Yesterday I got my first ticket for running a red light. I need some advice on what to do to get out of paying my debt to society. Are there any good one-liners I can give the judge that might convince him to let me off, or to reduce the penalty?
All I got so far is "thank goodness no one was hurt, and I learned my lesson." Either that or "I had to get home before Judge Judy started."

Global decision-making

The 8 most developed nations got together and decided to limit the warming of the globe to 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial times of 150 years ago. Does it sound reasonable for humankind to decide what the temperature will be? Just as reasonable, I would say, would be an agreement that would prohibit an invasion of extraterrestrials attempting to conquer our earth. Yea, we would like to have such power to make these decisions, but we have no control.

The best thing about Arizona

Early Saturday morning, Ana and I were driving toward Mesa. It was sunny and warm, as per usual. There wasn't much traffic. And we noticed something so wonderful it almost brought a tear to my eye. The traffic light along the main road was flashing yellow. And the traffic lights at the intersecting side roads were flashing red. It was delightful! The few cars on the main road never stop. And when we turned left onto the main road, we just stopped long enough to make sure it was safe to proceed. I wanted to give the city planner a big hug!
My wildest dream would be for all cities all over the world to make their traffic lights this efficient. This makes sense on so many levels! Less wear and tear on your brakes, saving fuel, saving time, and even reducing your car's carbon tire-print. My dream begins with minimizing wait times at stoplights during low-traffic hours. This system of flashing yellows and flashing reds is perfect for low-traffic. Let's give it a chance!