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Video Shows Lawmaker Hitting Cyclist (Democrat)
AP ^ | 9/2/09 | Unknown

Posted on 09/02/2009 8:52:45 AM PDT by OneVike

Video taken from inside a city bus shows a Wisconsin state lawmaker running a red light and smashing into a bicyclist.

Rep. Fred Clark, a Democrat, was ticketed by Madison police for running a red light on Aug. 18. The video was released this week by Madison Metro.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.aol.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Miscellaneous; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: 111th; accident; democrat; fredclark; suv
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Video says it all, but besides the obvious, what do you think the chances that this Democrat will be forced to step down and resign from his political office?

Then there is the idea that a Democrat is actually driving an evil SUV, talk about being a hypocrite.

1 posted on 09/02/2009 8:52:45 AM PDT by OneVike
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To: xsmommy; hobbes1

What?? A democrat who didn’t share the road??


2 posted on 09/02/2009 8:56:23 AM PDT by secret garden (Dubiety reigns here)
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To: OneVike

A ticket for running a red light, but no ticket for smashing the bicyclist???? Am I missing something here?


3 posted on 09/02/2009 9:01:47 AM PDT by Frank_2001
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To: OneVike

A Madison police report says Clark told an officer “I was just not paying attention.”

...A metaphor for how most Dem reps and sens are operating when on the job.


4 posted on 09/02/2009 9:04:21 AM PDT by downtownconservative (As Obama lies, liberty dies!)
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To: OneVike

Clark was in the wrong, but the cyclist acted stupidly. The light changed less than three seconds before he rode through the intersection without looking both ways.

If that was the cyclist’s SOP, he was going to get hit at some point anyway.

But this was still Clark’s fault. It’s the motorist’s responsibility to not hit anybody, not even people acting stupidly.


5 posted on 09/02/2009 9:10:38 AM PDT by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: savedbygrace

“Clark was in the wrong, but the cyclist acted stupidly. The light changed less than three seconds before he rode through the intersection without looking both ways.”

My father taught me that everyone on the road is careless except you — drive like that.

When riding my road bike, I always look out for cars and try to make eye contact with folks at stops. Sometimes they just don’t see you and pull out, so I proceed with caution if I don’t catch their eye.


6 posted on 09/02/2009 9:14:41 AM PDT by Londo Molari
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To: savedbygrace

As a cyclist myself, I say HOLD ON THERE!

I am expected to obey traffic laws, and I expect others to do so, also

if I was in a car, and th elight changed 3 SECONDS before I got to the light, I would expect the other cars to STOP also!

Same with a bicycle! I would EXPECT cars to STOP at red lights!

I would just peddle through like any other vehicle that had the right of way!

There is NO WAY the Cyclist has any fault in this!


7 posted on 09/02/2009 9:22:55 AM PDT by RaceBannon (OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE IS SHOVEL READY...FOR SENIORS!!:: NObama. Not my president.)
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To: OneVike

Lots of fault.

1. The red-light runner.
2. The biker who flew through the intersection at full speed just after (2 sec) the light changed, hidden by the bus, and blind to cross traffic. I don’t even do that in a big sedan.
3. Possibly the traffic department for setting yellow lights too short to clear the intersection (this happens when they like the red light camera ticket revenue).


8 posted on 09/02/2009 9:23:07 AM PDT by Atlas Sneezed (Socialism: The sin of envy, masquerading as a political movement.)
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To: RaceBannon

There is NO WAY the Cyclist has any fault in this!


Not legal fault, but he missed a bleedin’ obvious opportunity to use sensible safety practices to prevent this.

He was as smart as a teenage girl in a miniskirt who has the legal right to prance around the bar district at 2AM, then takes no responsibility for the bad consequences.


9 posted on 09/02/2009 9:25:33 AM PDT by Atlas Sneezed (Socialism: The sin of envy, masquerading as a political movement.)
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To: Beelzebubba
Possibly the traffic department for setting yellow lights too short to clear the intersection (this happens when they like the red light camera ticket revenue)

Or maybe it's the new population control program, set the lights in such a way as to insure more people will get killed.
10 posted on 09/02/2009 9:27:07 AM PDT by OneVike (Just a Christian waiting to go home)
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To: OneVike
Saw this on the local news last night (channel 5 ABC out of the Twin Cities)

Of course, absolutely NO MENTION what-so-ever of the party affliation. Told hubby after the story ran, he had to be a democrap 'cuz if he were a pubbie, that little tidbit would have LED THE NEWS !!!

Bunch of clymers all of them.

11 posted on 09/02/2009 9:28:42 AM PDT by coder2
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To: Beelzebubba

BOGUS Hokum!

The Cyclist was OBEYING THE LAW, he was ON THE RIGHT as he should be

He went through a GREEN LIGHT

He had every right to do what he did

the DEMOCRAT who hit him was Speeding and ignoring the traffic light

The Cyclist is completely innocent!


12 posted on 09/02/2009 9:29:19 AM PDT by RaceBannon (OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE IS SHOVEL READY...FOR SENIORS!!:: NObama. Not my president.)
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To: RaceBannon

If the cyclist was Republican, it’s his fault. Or Bush’s.


13 posted on 09/02/2009 9:35:45 AM PDT by karnage (worn arguments and old attitudes)
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To: RaceBannon

So was the gal in the miniskirt.


14 posted on 09/02/2009 9:37:49 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (If America falls, darkness will cover the face of the earth for a thousand years.)
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To: RaceBannon

Apparently, you are differentiating between having fault and acting stupidly. That means you did not read my post carefully. I said the motorist was at fault, but the cyclist acted stupidly.

If you’re trying to say the cyclist didn’t act stupidly, then you just continue to barrel through intersections without looking both ways, and I’ll continue to say that is acting stupidly. Maybe someone will speak at your funeral and let everyone know it wasn’t your fault you got nailed by the woman putting on her makeup as she ran the red light.

You’ll still be dead, though.


15 posted on 09/02/2009 9:38:41 AM PDT by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: OneVike

I’m sure that he will claim that he was “rushing to vote” on an important bill and is therefore immune as a “legislator” to any charges. Where have we seen this kind of defense happen with a Dem before?

Oh, that’s right. It was a Kennedy.


16 posted on 09/02/2009 9:42:31 AM PDT by hadit2here ("Most men would rather die than think. Many do." - Bertrand Russell)
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To: savedbygrace

Clark was in the wrong, but the cyclist acted stupidly. The light changed less than three seconds before he rode through the intersection without looking both ways”

How long is the light cycle at those intersections???

Some I have encountered are very short,
3 seconds could amount to 10% of the cycle.

Cyclists should be more cautious, but drives like Clark need a tune up.


17 posted on 09/02/2009 9:54:10 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: ridesthemiles
How long is the light cycle at those intersections???

Irrelevant.

18 posted on 09/02/2009 9:55:52 AM PDT by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: RaceBannon
I am expected to obey traffic laws, and I expect others to do so, also

Your expectation has much more dire consequences when it is not met than it does for someone inside a car. Sure, most people obey traffic laws most of the time, but are you willing to stake disability or death against a 99.999% chance in your favor? Personally, I don't like those stakes, even with such good odds.

19 posted on 09/02/2009 9:58:00 AM PDT by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: Beelzebubba

That’s lame. The cyclist was not to blame at all. There is a pause between when a light turns red and the cross light turns green, so there was more than a 2 second delay. Besides that the cyclist broke no laws and if he had been driving a car you wouldn’t have said boo about how fast he shot into the intersection. I don’t ride bikes BTW(not on the highway at any rate).


20 posted on 09/02/2009 10:02:02 AM PDT by calex59
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