hybrid cars ?

"Raoul Duke" wrote:

"Chalo" wrote in message

To borrow a song lyric from Sesame Street, "these are the people in
your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in you neighborhood..." We
have systems for dealing with criminal activity among people who live
here. And if you are not attempting to defend a failed and corrupt
prohibition, then a "drug smuggler" becomes an "international freight
forwarder" and a contributor to the economy.

Maybe in your neighborhood, but not mine. And no, I'm not defending the so
called "War on Drugs". However, the type of people who usually engage in
these activities are not the type of people I would want in my neighborhood.

Sure. Nobody loves to be around crackheads (the familiar example from
my neighborhood), but to me personally they've been no trouble at all.
Less of a hassle to have around, certainly, than cops or missionaries
for instance.

Calling someone who smuggles heroin or methamphetamine an "international
freight forwarder" is even dumber than comparing slavery to immigration law.

If their products are legal, then that's what they are. You might
disapprove of drug imports. but I disapprove of car imports. You
can't possibly make a case that drugs harm or kill more people than
cars, or have a worse effect on our quality of life.

Economically speaking, immigrants _are_ resources. Typically they
have been a net gain because they make their own way, plus profit for
someone else.

Tell that to the taxpayers of California who have to subsidize the hospitals
the illegals show up at to have their children so they can become American
citizens.

Do you thing California could even _function_ without undocumented
immigrant labor? There's no way. The whole Central Valley would
become a compost heap of unharvested produce. Construction would slow
to a crawl. Rich people might be forced to occasionally prepare their
own meals! :^)

The notion that somebody who just came to California from neighboring
Baja California or Sinaloa should be denied a public service, one that
would be provided to someone from Ohio or Georgia without question,
just baffles me. It's like Jim Crow laws, or the slave-era white
folks' belief that black folks didn't have souls-- drawing a totally
arbitrary line to distinguish those who have human rights from those
who don't.

Chalo Colina

"Chalo" wrote in message

Sure. Nobody loves to be around crackheads (the familiar example from
my neighborhood), but to me personally they've been no trouble at all.
Less of a hassle to have around, certainly, than cops or missionaries
for instance.

Cops haven't been a problem for me since I no longer carry controlled
substances with me all the time. But if you do, I can see where you might
have a problem.

But I have to agree with you about those damn missionaries. I'm getting
sick and tired of finding those damn Bible tracts on my doorstep. Next time
I see a Mormon, I'm gonna kick his ass.

If their products are legal, then that's what they are. You might
disapprove of drug imports. but I disapprove of car imports. You
can't possibly make a case that drugs harm or kill more people than
cars, or have a worse effect on our quality of life.

How about motorcycles? Don't you have an imported motorcycle? Doesn't it
run on petroleum and therefore pollute the environment and adversely affect
the quality of life? The last motorcycle I had - a GS 1000 - actually got
worse gas mileage than than the car I currently drive.

The notion that somebody who just came to California from neighboring
Baja California or Sinaloa should be denied a public service, one that
would be provided to someone from Ohio or Georgia without question,
just baffles me.

That's because you're not picking up the tab.

It's like Jim Crow laws, or the slave-era white
folks' belief that black folks didn't have souls-- drawing a totally
arbitrary line to distinguish those who have human rights from those
who don't.

In case you haven't noticed, white people abolished slavery a long time ago
and the mentality that went along with it.

On the other hand, slavery is alive and well, to this day, among black
people, in Africa.

Dave

"Chalo" wrote in message

Sure. Nobody loves to be around crackheads (the familiar example from
my neighborhood), but to me personally they've been no trouble at all.
Less of a hassle to have around, certainly, than cops or missionaries
for instance.

Cops haven't been a problem for me since I no longer carry controlled
substances with me all the time. But if you do, I can see where you might
have a problem.

But I have to agree with you about those damn missionaries. I'm getting
sick and tired of finding those damn Bible tracts on my doorstep. Next time
I see a Mormon, I'm gonna kick his ass.

If their products are legal, then that's what they are. You might
disapprove of drug imports. but I disapprove of car imports. You
can't possibly make a case that drugs harm or kill more people than
cars, or have a worse effect on our quality of life.

How about motorcycles? Don't you have an imported motorcycle? Doesn't it
run on petroleum and therefore pollute the environment and adversely affect
the quality of life? The last motorcycle I had - a GS 1000 - actually got
worse gas mileage than than the car I currently drive.

The notion that somebody who just came to California from neighboring
Baja California or Sinaloa should be denied a public service, one that
would be provided to someone from Ohio or Georgia without question,
just baffles me.

That's because you're not picking up the tab.

It's like Jim Crow laws, or the slave-era white
folks' belief that black folks didn't have souls-- drawing a totally
arbitrary line to distinguish those who have human rights from those
who don't.

In case you haven't noticed, white people abolished slavery a long time ago
and the mentality that went along with it.

On the other hand, slavery is alive and well, to this day, among black
people, in Africa.

Dave

"Raoul Duke" wrote:

"Chalo" wrote in message

Cops haven't been a problem for me since I no longer carry controlled
substances with me all the time. But if you do, I can see where you might
have a problem.

If the issue were that simple, I wouldn't have to dread dealing with
coppers. I can't claim to be an abstainer, but I've never carried
drugs more illegal than the firewater I sometimes tote in a hip flask.

When I was young and broke, I used to get arrested for stale traffic
tickets. For many years now, the things I've been arrested for have
been either lawful political demonstrations or just watching the pigs
when they are roughing up someone else-- the kind of thing for which
they arrest you to make a point, then have to drop the charges. But
as I'm sure you're aware, you don't have to be doing anything illegal
or even unusual to be detained and hassled by the cops without being
formally arrested.

How about motorcycles? Don't you have an imported motorcycle? Doesn't it
run on petroleum and therefore pollute the environment and adversely affect
the quality of life? The last motorcycle I had - a GS 1000 - actually got
worse gas mileage than than the car I currently drive.

Mine gets gas mileage a lot lower than that of the hybrid cars in the
subject line. If I could participate fully in the road system without
it, I surely would. If I had a plausible transit sytem available to
me, I would use it instead. The moto is just a coping strategy-- but
one that asserts my committment to assuming responsibility for as many
of the consequences of my driving as I can manage. It's my attempt to
embody the opposite of the Hummer driver recently quoted in National
Geographic saying, "I love knowing that whatever I run into, I win."

My moto really doesn't use as much gas as a typical car, or rack up
nearly as many miles.

The notion that somebody who just came to California from neighboring
Baja California or Sinaloa should be denied a public service, one that
would be provided to someone from Ohio or Georgia without question,
just baffles me.

That's because you're not picking up the tab.

Are you suggesting that Californians don't pick up the tab for
uninsured patients if they are USAians?

It's like Jim Crow laws, or the slave-era white
folks' belief that black folks didn't have souls-- drawing a totally
arbitrary line to distinguish those who have human rights from those
who don't.

In case you haven't noticed, white people abolished slavery a long time ago
and the mentality that went along with it.

If only!

Chalo Colina

"Raoul Duke" wrote:

"Chalo" wrote in message

Cops haven't been a problem for me since I no longer carry controlled
substances with me all the time. But if you do, I can see where you might
have a problem.

If the issue were that simple, I wouldn't have to dread dealing with
coppers. I can't claim to be an abstainer, but I've never carried
drugs more illegal than the firewater I sometimes tote in a hip flask.

When I was young and broke, I used to get arrested for stale traffic
tickets. For many years now, the things I've been arrested for have
been either lawful political demonstrations or just watching the pigs
when they are roughing up someone else-- the kind of thing for which
they arrest you to make a point, then have to drop the charges. But
as I'm sure you're aware, you don't have to be doing anything illegal
or even unusual to be detained and hassled by the cops without being
formally arrested.

How about motorcycles? Don't you have an imported motorcycle? Doesn't it
run on petroleum and therefore pollute the environment and adversely affect
the quality of life? The last motorcycle I had - a GS 1000 - actually got
worse gas mileage than than the car I currently drive.

Mine gets gas mileage a lot lower than that of the hybrid cars in the
subject line. If I could participate fully in the road system without
it, I surely would. If I had a plausible transit sytem available to
me, I would use it instead. The moto is just a coping strategy-- but
one that asserts my committment to assuming responsibility for as many
of the consequences of my driving as I can manage. It's my attempt to
embody the opposite of the Hummer driver recently quoted in National
Geographic saying, "I love knowing that whatever I run into, I win."

My moto really doesn't use as much gas as a typical car, or rack up
nearly as many miles.

The notion that somebody who just came to California from neighboring
Baja California or Sinaloa should be denied a public service, one that
would be provided to someone from Ohio or Georgia without question,
just baffles me.

That's because you're not picking up the tab.

Are you suggesting that Californians don't pick up the tab for
uninsured patients if they are USAians?

It's like Jim Crow laws, or the slave-era white
folks' belief that black folks didn't have souls-- drawing a totally
arbitrary line to distinguish those who have human rights from those
who don't.

In case you haven't noticed, white people abolished slavery a long time ago
and the mentality that went along with it.

If only!

Chalo Colina

"Chalo" wrote in message

But as I'm sure you're aware, you don't have to be doing anything illegal
or even unusual to be detained and hassled by the cops without being
formally arrested.

I don't know, never happened to me. The few times I've been arrested, I was
actually breaking the law. I never had any hard feelings for the cops that
put me in jail; they were doing their job and I was being an idiot.

The moto is just a coping strategy-- but
one that asserts my committment to assuming responsibility for as many
of the consequences of my driving as I can manage. It's my attempt to
embody the opposite of the Hummer driver recently quoted in National
Geographic saying, "I love knowing that whatever I run into, I win."

My moto really doesn't use as much gas as a typical car, or rack up
nearly as many miles.

We're actually on the same side here. I hate Hummers too.

Are you suggesting that Californians don't pick up the tab for
uninsured patients if they are USAians?

Of course not. But the point is that we've got to draw the line somewhere.

In case you haven't noticed, white people abolished slavery a long time
ago
and the mentality that went along with it.

If only!

I know plenty of white people, and not one wants to bring back slavery.

Dave

"Chalo" wrote in message

But as I'm sure you're aware, you don't have to be doing anything illegal
or even unusual to be detained and hassled by the cops without being
formally arrested.

I don't know, never happened to me. The few times I've been arrested, I was
actually breaking the law. I never had any hard feelings for the cops that
put me in jail; they were doing their job and I was being an idiot.

The moto is just a coping strategy-- but
one that asserts my committment to assuming responsibility for as many
of the consequences of my driving as I can manage. It's my attempt to
embody the opposite of the Hummer driver recently quoted in National
Geographic saying, "I love knowing that whatever I run into, I win."

My moto really doesn't use as much gas as a typical car, or rack up
nearly as many miles.

We're actually on the same side here. I hate Hummers too.

Are you suggesting that Californians don't pick up the tab for
uninsured patients if they are USAians?

Of course not. But the point is that we've got to draw the line somewhere.

In case you haven't noticed, white people abolished slavery a long time
ago
and the mentality that went along with it.

If only!

I know plenty of white people, and not one wants to bring back slavery.

Dave