"I'm going to knock your head off with a baseball bat"

This for riding my bike in traffic today. I was riding down the street
that runs from my home to the intersection of the main artery towards the
light rail. I was in the right lane, waiting for cars to pass, then
signaled to get into the left lane to turn onto the main artery. Pretty
mundane stuff. I look behind me with my mirror, then over my shoulder to
make sure the car behind me (which is moving back and forth aggressively)
isn't going to pass me on the left as I get into the left lane. He doesn't
and I get into the left lane.

This is where it gets weird. He starts yelling at me to "f***ing get on
the sidewalk". This, also, is typical. I'm used to hearing this on an
almost bi-weekly basis from the citizens of Beaverton, Oregon. We live in
a bicycle friendly community. Right. I guess that's relative (i.e. they
don't throw things at us, they only threaten to kill us). Anyway, he's
yelling at me to get on the sidewalk calling me an "f***ing idiot" (with
no hint of irony). Finally I try to explain to him (and I seriously mean
explain, I'll be the first to admit that I've given the finger or shouted
back at someone before who was road raging) that bikes are allowed on the
road. Then he says "I'm going to knock your head off with a baseball bat".
Of course, I shout back that I'm going to call the police and he'll go to
jail for assault, I pull my cell phone out and start to dial, he starts
cussing loudly to himself in the car staring forward.

In the end he drove off, I road off, but I'm really starting to get tired
of this garbage. This happens far too often and I do everything you're
supposed to do when it comes to riding. And yet still it happens. And it's
never "damn you for passing me" or "how dare you take the lane". The road
raging is always because I'm on the road period. Period! Nothing more.
Nothing less. You don't deserve to be on the road, so I'm going to
threaten to kill you. What can you do when faced with this? I'm so sick of
it. I want to carry a camera with me and just photograph the hell out of
these people and take them to court. I wonder if I should carry mace with
me at all times. I don't want to. I'm not a fighter. But at a certain
point when not only are you being threatened by their vehicles, but
they're threatening to wield weapons, what do you do? I'm at a loss.

Preston