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Odd interaction with a road rager



 
 
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  #411  
Old November 5th 04, 01:47 AM
Fx199
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I tried to tell you . . .
Democrats repel voters, who put faith in freedom

Published on: 11/04/04
America's faith in freedom has been reaffirmed. With the re-election of
President Bush, America recommitted itself once again to expanding freedom and
promoting liberty. Only the 1864 re-election of Abraham Lincoln, the 1944
re-election of Franklin Roosevelt and the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan rival
this victory as milestones in the preservation of our security by the
advancement of freedom.


This election validated not just freedom, but also the faith our Founding
Fathers placed in average folks to navigate the course of this great nation. By
weighing the greatest issues at the gravest times and choosing our path,
ordinary people have again accomplished extraordinary things. With courage and
caution, rather than fear and timidity, the voters chose a path to ensure
others would enjoy the same freedom to set their own path.

This election outcome should have been implausible, if not impossible. With a
litany of complaints — bad economy, bad deficit, bad foreign war, bad gas
prices — amplified by a national media that discarded any pretense of
neutrality, a national opposition party should have won this election.

But the Democratic Party is no longer a national party. As difficult as the
challenges are — both real and fabricated — Democrats offered no solution
that was either believable or acceptable to vast regions of America. Tax
increases to grow the economy are not a solution that is believable or
acceptable. Democratic promises of fiscal responsibility are unbelievable in
the face of massive new spending promises. A foreign policy based on the
strength of "allies" such as France is unacceptable. A strong national defense
policy is just not believable coming from a candidate who built a career as an
anti-war veteran, an anti-military candidate and an anti-action senator.

Democratic Party policies haven't sold in large sections of America in decades,
and the only success of Democrats in presidential elections for 40 years was
when they pitched themselves as pro-growth, low-tax, strong-defense, fiscally
responsible, values-oriented candidates. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton hummed
the tune but never really sang the song, and that's why Democrat prospects have
gone south in the South. In 1980, the South had 20 Democrats and just six
Republicans in the Senate. As recently as 1994, the Senate had 17 Democrats and
nine Republicans from the South.

A decade later, the number had reversed to 17 Republicans and nine Democrats.
With this election, it is 22 Republicans and just four Democrats from the
South. When will national Democrats sober up and admit that that dog won't
hunt? Secular socialism, heavy taxes, big spending, weak defense, limitless
lawsuits and heavy regulation — that pack of beagles hasn't caught a rabbit
in the South or Midwest in years. The most recent failed nominee for president
stands as proof that the national Democratic Party will continue to dwindle.
The South has gone from just one-fourth of the Electoral College in 1960 to
almost a third today. To put this in perspective, that gain is equal to all the
electoral votes in Ohio. Yet there was not a single Southern state where John
Kerry had any real chance. Would anyone like to place bets on the electoral
strength of the South by 2012? Maybe they should tax stupidity. When you write
off centrist and conservative policies that reflect the will of people in the
South and Midwest, you write off the South and Midwest. Democrats have never
learned from the second or third or fifth kick of a mule. They continue to
change only the makeup on, rather than makeup of, the Democrat Party.

And so we have a realignment election. For the first time, in an "us vs. them"
election and in the toughest of situations, Republicans have been re-elected to
the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Confronting an
opposition that can win a divided electorate in the worst of times and that has
a growing electoral base, the national Democratic Party has a choice: continue
down this path toward irrelevance or reverse course. As the last Truman
Democrat, I hope my party makes the right choice but know I will not be allowed
to be part of it. Such is the price you pay when you love your nation more than
your party.

And so while I retire with little hope for the near-term viability of the party
I've spent my life building, I retire with a quiet satisfaction that after
witnessing the struggle of democracy over communism and fascism, the fear I
once held that America might not rise to meet this new challenge of terrorism
has vanished like a fog under the radiance of a new dawn. While the threat is
still real, the shadow looming across a promising future is gone.

And the credit for that goes to one man. Like the last lion of England, Winston
Churchill, George W. Bush has stood alone and risked all to give the world a
new, clearer path to the advancement of freedom.

Abraham Lincoln, in his second annual message to Congress, stated: "In giving
freedom to the slave, we assure freedom for the free — honorable alike in
what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last,
best hope of earth."

George Bush has injected into a region of enslavement an incurable dose of
freedom, and thus nobly saved that "last, best hope of earth" — free men.

— Zell Miller is Georgia's Democratic U.S. senator.
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  #412  
Old November 5th 04, 06:35 PM
wildcard
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I would not advocate getting into verbal confrontation with idiots in
cars.

Yes, we make mistakes on bikes and yes, the same rules apply to us. If
people act dangerously on two wheels or four, they deserve to ticking
off, but the other person isn't usually on two wheels, can get away
easy, and doesn't really care for the law. You're risking your life
over human waste basically and chewing the fat with them in such
situations, isn't worth it.

A couple of years ago on the UK, in a town called Oldbury, I signalled
right into a side-road; it was 100% clear, safe to do so. The road when
round a sharp bend, with parked cars and virtually no space to overtake.
You guessed it..along comes cretin in his red Sierra, giving the horn
for me to get# out of the way. he was driving inches from my back tire
and there was no way on earth I could stop let alone even look around
for a second. These people have issues and it matters not what tips
them over the edge; it's got nothing to do with reason, merely their
whole president for violence is based on situations whereby they can
use any excuse to vent anger.

so here I am, maintaining speed and a safe distance from other cars,
until round this bend. Then I pull so that the guy can pass, only
that's not the end of it. He races ahead against traffic, then stops
RIGHT in front of me, forcing me to slow down and almost hit a parked
car to my left. OK, I lost my rag and gave him the V sign. He then
stops, gets outa his killing machine and heads toward me.

I cycle on the pavement for a bit because these types are just not
worth a stint in a cell or even stabbing. As I pass I shout that I've
got this idiot's number and I'm calling the cops. The screech of tyres
meant that for some reason he wasn't going to let this get that far.

Once again he races ahead, only this time he stops, gets out and stands
in the middle of a busy road, as a rugby player would do. Sod this I
though, this guy is crazy. As he leapt for me I put the pedal to the
floor and just let rip; at this point my life means more than his. The
fat slob couldn't stop me, but managed to rip my bag off my back and
almost sent me careering head-on into other cars.

This guy was a maniac. Everyone was wondering what was going on, but
people do not wish to get involved. One guy slid onto some grass to see
what the hell was happening. This maniac then turned into the place
where he works..bingo.

I made a judgement call at this juncture. Go back, pick up the bag and
USE the shackle lock to crack this person's skull, or find a phone box
and call the law. I couldn't afford a mobile phone so I locked the
bike, walked to a phone box and called the troops. The copper that came
out was in fact a part-time cyclist himself, and could tell that I was
not BS him or wasting his time. If I am wrong on the roads I always
make other people aware of it, and in 10 years' cycling I have learnt
how to cycle safely.

The sight of the copper walking into this cretin's place of work
helped, but part of me was still gunning to crack this asshole; when
your life is put at risk over something so daft as someone not willing
to wait, you're just out of it for a bit - looking for opportunity to
expel that adrenaline.

Since then I have seen idiot drivers cut me up, mouth off because
they're intimidated by non-car users (yes folks, that's the mentality
round here), and I've had so many pedestrians being abusive to me and
other cyclists, I've lost count. However the number one priority for me
is my safety - it's not worth it folks because you're fighting the
impossible war, even if you win there is always, always another
mindless creep waiting around the corner and you can't change it.

What you can change is how you react. Let them get angry; let them show
themselves up but most of all, let them do it in their own time away
from you and old give them a kicking if you're in a corner with no
choice but to defend yourself. You're dealing with people who's whole
purpose in life is to go out and attack other people be it with cars,
guns, knives. They are not worth your safety - just get the license
plate and get out the way.

It's harder to maintain control than loose it..and loosing it could
loose your life..not worth it.


--
wildcard

  #413  
Old November 6th 04, 07:14 PM
Just zis Guy, you know?
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On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 17:12:57 GMT, "Ken [NY)"
wrote in message :

"There is nothing patriotic about hating your country, or pretending
that you can love your country but despise your government."


The words of someone in government who was subject to a hate campaign.
Clearly completely reliable :-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
 




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