Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
Morgan Favors the Nanny State
Not very often I’m on the same side of the aisle as the “nanny state.” I’m much closer to the classic libertarian guy, the “Who the hell says we need sidewalks and fire halls” kinda guy who was born 150 years too late.
Not very often the stuff I want done, gets done.
So isn’t this suspicious. At the end of last month, I kibitzed about people in Sacramento talking on their goddamned cell phones too much…those of you who live elsewhere, come visit if you think I’m overreacting. You wouldn’t believe it. Every goddamned day you drive a car, every mile of road you gobble up, they’re all around you. Blah, blah, blah. They’re all convinced they drive better than Bo and Luke Duke combined…and Lord knows what kind of important business they’re conducting while they resentfully acknolwedge your negligible existence in their seven-ton whatevers. “Huh? What? I said, Jeezus Christ, I almost ran this mutherfucker off the road! Yeah! Huh? What? Yeah, that’s what I said! Huh? What? You’re breaking up! Not my problem, I got…uh…three bars! Yeah! So, NOW whaddya doing? Oh really? Huh? What? I said, oh really? Yeah! Huh? What? Yeah, right! Oh SHIT you wouldn’t believe how close I came to ramming that guy! Yeah that’s right! Huh? What? Yeah, right! Huh?”
Sorry, fellow libertarian guys. I can’t join you on this one…the thing of it is, what we call “hands-free” costs, like, ten to fifteen dollars now. All the cell phones, so far as I’m aware, support it in some form or another. I should not be seeing anyone, in any car, anywhere I drive, holding up an appliance next to their ears. Not if they share the road with me and the people about whom I care. Not one person. NONE.
So…John Birch type libertarian-leanings notwithstanding — since it costs about ten bucks to comply, or else, just hanging the hell up until you got where you’re going — I’m in favor of this. Accuse me of whatever you want to accuse me of, but I’m in favor of it.
California today became the fourth state to ban motorists from holding cell phones while driving, moving the issue of driver distraction to the forefront of the national agenda.
In a live webcast, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation that passed in the California Assembly last month. The measure goes into effect in July 2008, imposing a minimum $20 fine for anyone caught driving and using a cell phone unless the driver uses a headset, ear bud or other technology that frees both hands.
Emergency situations are exempt.
San Francisco Chronicle has more…
Californians are going to have to put down their cell phone and use a hands-free device starting in 2008 if they want to talk and drive at the same time under a bill Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sign into law today.”Public safety is the governor’s No. 1 priority, and this bill make the streets and highways of California safer by making sure drivers have both hands available for driving,” said Margita Thompson, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger.
Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said data from the California Highway Patrol showed that not only were cell phones the No. 1 cause of distracted driving accidents, but that hands-free technology substantially reduced the number of crashes.
“We’ve got this readily available technology that costs next to nothing and that saves lives. My argument has been, why not use it?” Simitian said.
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