This should make for an interesting trial:

A Pittsburgh man said a ticket a state police trooper gave him is for the bird. No, not the birds. The bird. Literally.

But 42-year-old Stephen Corey said he is suing because he believes he had a First Amendment right to flip his middle finger at Trooper Samuel Nassan III, who gave Corey two tickets last July.

Corey's lawsuit said Nassan ticketed him for following another vehicle too closely, then wrote him up for giving a improper hand signal, the middle finger.

Corey and his attorney said that's wrong because Nassan filed the ticket as though Corey committed a motor vehicle violation -- like a motorist who made an illegal turn signal using his hand.

Nassan chuckled about the lawsuit, but said the ticket was proper because -- he said -- Corey gave him the finger as part of a gesture that indicated he was changing lanes.

It is a stupid lawsuit, although I do see his point. It is a free country and we have freedom of speech, although I do see this as further evidence at the decline of respect and decency in this country. I can see it going the other way also, because there are areas where respect is demanded by law. One example is the courtroom, where failure to respect the judge and the setting can result in a charge of 'contempt of court'.

However it turns out, I cannot help but applaud the creativity of the officer. A ticket for "improper hand signal" may not stand up in court but it is truly brilliant.