Posted on 09/11/2008 9:19:43 PM PDT by DakotaRed
HOLLISTON - If you're young and ride a bicycle through town without a helmet, you may end up walking back home. Police here are looking for scofflaws and will snatch the pedals from your feet if you've been warned numerous times but still forgo headgear.
Holliston police, frustrated in trying to drive home the point that riding without a helmet is dangerous and illegal, are hoping the tactic will finally get the attention of young riders.
"We're not looking to take bikes away from the kids who forget their helmets," School Resource Officer David Gatchell said yesterday. "This isn't something where we're looking to collect a hundred bikes. We don't want to seize bikes, but for the kids who repeatedly ignore the warnings, it will happen."
Riding a bike - or scooter or in-line skates - without a helmet is illegal for anyone younger than 17 in Massachusetts. But Gatchell said he's noticed crowds of youngsters riding in his town without head protection. Bradford Jackson, Holliston school superintendent, said that outside the schools, he's seen an increase in bike riders, given the warm weather.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
The point of my posting this is not whether or not helmets are a good idea or not, I think they are. It is, however, an indication of how much do we want our lives controlled by government forces who feel free to confiscate private property should we decide to exercise our free will.
In the last two years I have two friends involved in motorcycle accidents, both wearing required helmets. One was a classic right of way violation as a lady changed lanes into him. He died on the side of the road, the helmet did not help him. The question is, could he have seen her changing lanes in his periphial vision had he not had on a full helmet and swerved to avoid her? We’ll never know.
The second was broadsided by a drunk illegal immigrant and took off his leg. Did the helmet save him from further injury? I believe so.
If we are going to allow government to decide what is best for us, should we not all be required to walk around in a suit of armor and only be allowed to own and drive armored vehicles?
If we are to be government mandated “safe,” why do we allow bungee jumping, sky-diving, motorocyles, ecomony cars or even human contact and more?
Every little step we allow to let in more government intrusion robs us of one more little precious liberty.
Labeling those who may feel different in exercising their freedom as “idiots” just bolsters government intrusion into our lives.
Government cannot even handle law-breakers violating our borders. How can they mandate our safety?
Ah, no worries, you'll live through the tongue lashing, and I've already heard all the responses. If it goes further than that, unless someone is bicycling with long guns, no one is riding better armed than I am.
Armed with a big mouth. Nice.
“Only an idiot would ride a bike without a helmet.”
The every FReeper on this board over the age of 25+- is an idiot. I never saw kids with bike helmets until 15-20 years ago.
I'm curious, is genteel considered a pejorative associated with emasculation in New Zealand? I for one, would take being considered genteel as an extreme compliment, and wouldn't associate it with sissification at all.
Forgot to mention, I was hit by a car once when I was 13. Knocked me off my bike, split my head, broke my wrist and cut my legs. I was back on the bike as soon as I was mended and was a heck of a lot more careful after that.
Now if you want to talk stupid, Let me tell you about all thee times us kids used to take a 22’ open fisherman out into the gulfstream with no radio, no float plan no life jackets and a case of beer!
While I may or may not have a big mouth, I'm armed by Sig Sauer.
> I’m curious, is genteel considered a pejorative associated with emasculation in New Zealand?
Yup, definitely. Not quite as pejorative as “poncified” but almost. “Poncified” would be genteel plus dressing fancy.
> I for one, would take being considered genteel as an extreme compliment, and wouldn’t associate it with sissification at all.
Must have different connotations in the US. What does “genteel” mean up there?
When I think about it harder, the NZ nuance of “genteel” is probably a visceral reaction arising from having been a colony of the British Empire. Here, “Jack’s as good as his Master”, and that’s been a defining aspect of our culture.
Poms tend to get tolerated with a snicker, the source of some considerable mirth.
I’ve never heard “genteel” used as a compliment here.
Here, Genteel would mean a man of refinement and taste, and usually wealth. Our founding fathers for example would have been considered genteel in their day.
Rubbish! It is hitting your head that causes brain damage. If you are riding, you aren't generally hitting your head. You do that crashing. If you do not hit your head, you don't hurt your brain.
But keep thinking a device is a substitute for situational awareness, skill, and operating your vehicle (of whatever type) in a defensive manner.
I hope they don’t decide to pass a mandatory condom law.
> Here, Genteel would mean a man of refinement and taste, and usually wealth. Our founding fathers for example would have been considered genteel in their day.
Interesting. We might refer to your Founding Fathers as polite or even as gentlemen. I dunno about “genteel”, tho’ — probably not.
The Texas Rangers are not “genteel” (neither is anybody in Texas, to the best of our knowledge). We can use the Texas Rangers as the litmus test, as they represent the absence of these things:
- A Fop dresses fancy
- A Ponce is a fop who dresses more like a woman than a man: similar to a pimp
- Sometimes they “mince” eg “mincing fop”, “mincing ponce”. To “mince” is almost like prancing, almost like dancing, almost like skipping.
- Sometimes they are “genteel” which means that they’d prefer to play with dolls than to play The Rugby
- A poofter is a Fop and/or a Ponce who is also a homosexualist. Mincing is implied
- A wuss is always a genteel coward but may or may not be anything else
- A woofter is a combo poofter/wuss
- And finally, a plonker is somebody who gets gratification from abusing himself. Used in the same way Americans would use “moron”
Mostly these terms can be mixed-and-matched to suit the event.
you jumped to a conclusion that was wrong. If you read the pertinent posts, you are an idiot if you don’t wear a helmet, not because you obey or disobey a law. Paleo made the point and it was ignored by an overzealous FReeper who tried to make it about freedom and encroachment of law.
To give you a good example of the law and idiots, somewhere, maybe even here in Tennessee, A cop arrested a motor cycalist for not wearing a helmet. The cyclist showed up in court, defended his action and won the case. It seems he had the helmet strapped to his leg at the time and so far as the law was concerned, he was wearing the helmet. The law did not stipulate where the helmet should be worn.
He won the case, showed himself a fierce fighter for rights and an idiot.
You can cite examples till hell freezes over, but it is good safe preactice to wear a helmet.
If I am jumping to conclusions, then you are not reading.
Nowhere have I said helmets are a bad idea. On the contrary, I say they are good.
However, do we need government mandates to force us to do what is good for us, by their decision?
Do we no longer bear responsibility for ourselves and our children? Shouldn’t it be the parents telling their kids to wear a helmet, if they wish them to and not government threatening confiscation of personal property?
I maintain your use of labeling those who see things differently than you as “idiots” only denigrates the discussion and eventually leads to losing one more liberty as we allow government to make our decisions for us and take self responsibility away.
Enforcing helmet laws exacerbates the shortage of available transplant organs and interferes with the process of evolution by natural selection.
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