[DucButt]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Ditto, man!! I'd never buy an SUV, and I agree that they are loathsome and do have an indirect effect on us allv- but I respect the SUV owner's freedom of choice. If we want to make a difference, let's do so with constructive actions - not narrow-minded words. As I said, lead by example.

 

[Steven_Verschoor]

Re: You drive an SUV, You're an idiot.

"Pursue your dreams, enjoy your life, keep it legal, don't judge others."

Okay, I'm with you on this. But there has to be balance. Remember the famous quote: "Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." - Oliver Wendell Holmes.

So if your SUV causes a traffic hazzard, my nose is starting to get out of joint. Still, I'm willing to seek a balance...

Consider 18-wheeler semi trucks. These cause a traffic hazzard, too. But these commercial transport vehicles really are essential to our "great economic engine," so the added risk they create may be worth the benfit they bring. In other words, there is a balance between the added risk and the added benefit.

An SUV with a few passengers creates added risk on the highways, but it doesn't offer any added benefit like a semi truck delivering goods.

The tricky part is deciding when balance is achieved. That's where democracy comes in... I still vote that people who drive SUVs are gluttons.

I don't mean this as a slight to you, personally. You sound like someone I could call a friend. We just happen to dissagree on the issue of SUVs.

So keep having fun on the dark side, but c'mon, man. Your SUV is blocking my view of the highway, and I can't practice the SIPDE technique they taught in motorcycle safety school.

 

[SilverBullet]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

OK, back to the facts:

* US less than 10% of world population

* US uses up more than 25% of Worlds energy

We can ALL do something HERE to make resources last a little longer.

Burns was just giving us a hint of why the rest of the world may not like us: we are GLUTONOUS, more so than the rest of the world.

Smell the coffee.

 

[Vlad]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Another excellent tirade, JB. Hey, you forgot to mention that terrorism is financed by the purchase of the sacred jurrassic juice. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers came from Saudi Arabia. And Saudi Arabia gets its money from the sale of oil. So every time somebody fills up the tank of his Brontosaurusmobile, he's also donating to the movement for international terrorism, in addition to making our highways unsafe and puking excess carbon dioxide into the air.

Let's raise the price of gas to $4 a gallon. I don't care. I ride a motorcycle. And I'm sick of getting dirty looks from the twirps in Bronto-mobiles every time I swoosh by them in the HOV lane.

Do I sound like I'm pissed at their disgusting display of irresponsible behavior? I am.

Pass the Paxil.

Vlad

 

[SilverBullet]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Silly answer. "We can afford it" would imply that we are entitled to take resources away from the rest of our fellow human beings. What makes us better than the rest? What gives us the right to abuse our power?

Mind your brothers.

 

[Steven_Verschoor]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Amen!

 

[SilverBullet]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Yeah, I don't care if he drinks... he's cool.

 

[12er]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Did everyone forget that Bush and Cheney are OIL MEN? How better to line your own pocket than make up the rules. Also the whole Afganistan thang is due to the UNICAL pipeline that we want to run through down to the indian ocean in Pakistan. Funny how Pakistan, someone we werent too friendly with suddonly became our biggest fan when this all went down. Clinton had funded the Taliban back in the 90's with the thinking that some form of control was better than none and the pipeline project could go forward. Granted that was an obvious mistake in hindsight.

 

[SilverBullet]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Aren't you disgressing? Yes, the US have provided "help" to nations around the world. I am positive that you are not naive enough to think that the US did it out good heart and good will. If there's one thing we're good at is making a profit and looking after our interests. Nothing is free and we are good investors.

I don't think JB was trying to point out how great european countries are, he just used them as an example of how bad WE are in terms of our "highway etiquette". In my own experience not only european contries are better than us at this, but most other nations I've driven at (South America, Western Europe, Asia, etc).

Now, on the government issue I am entirely with you. We the people have control over who governs and how we do it. If you don't like it change it, we have that oportunity.

 

[hawkrider]

Re: You drive an SUV, You're an idiot.

You will never be held up by my SUV. The question is can you keep up? It is about how people drive NOT WHAT THEY DRIVE!!!!!!!!!

 

[12er]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Riding my bicycle around as I love to do is more dangerous than my motorcycle. Here the SUV thing really rings true. Ever tried to set the example on a two lane road with two SUV's, one coming at you and one going with? Gotta love that wind created as the mirror misses your head by about 2 inches... Also if your riding BART (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, subway if you will) they wont allow bikes on during rush hour. When I rode to work I had to be on the train before 6:30am and couldnt get back on till after 6pm. Nothing like getting to work an hour early and having to wait another hour before you can go home. This country doesnt make it easy for you to do the right thing, hell there isnt enough money in it...

 

[12er]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

I quit voting for the simple reason that to get elected you have to compremise about something. You also have to kiss major ass and get major funding. If someones pocketbook isnt your priority you gets no funding. Then once an honest man or woman gets elected there is nothing like that special interest cash to change your mind. I'd love to feel good about voting, the same as I would love to get behind a religion but as its all controlled by man, man lies and looks out for his own.

 

[SilverBullet]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

I don't think JB is pledging to legislate and ban SUVs off the roads, he's just simply saying that a lot a people buy and USE stuff they don't really need and that waste is affecting all of us. Lighten up nobody's freedom is being attacked.

 

[The_Aerodynamic_Head]

no, it was the stock market.

Actually, incorrect.

Most middle east money is petrol money, to be sure. But we now know that most of Osama's first "big money" came from buying defence industry stocks and insurance stocks during the 80s. His recent money came from shorting the tech slowdown of Y2k, and his latest cash came from REALLY shorting insurance stocks the week or so before 9/11.

 

[DucButt]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

Who said anything about taking resources away from the rest? Who said anything about being better than the rest? Who said anything about having the right to abuse power? Those are your words, your inference. You're entitled to your own opinion - but it seems like a lot of us have all the answers, and a lot of us are more interested in making up someone else's mind for them.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't do everything right, and I don't have all the answers. That's why I'm not going to moan about what's wrong with the world unless I know I'm doing everything I reasonably can to change it.

Mind your brothers, but focus on cleaning your own house first.

 

[DucButt]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

SilverBullet - I like a lot of what you have said on this topic, and you seem like a dude I could drink a beer with (AFTER putting the keys away). However, what I think people need to lighten up on is deciding what's right and what's wrong for SOMEONE ELSE. When you tell me that you know what someone else doesn't need, I see that as their freedom of choice being attacked. Among other things. After all, do you REALLY need a motorcycle?? I'm just saying - seems like a lot of "pot calling the kettle black".

Funny thing is, if we all met at Willow Springs for a track day, we'd be having a blast and slapping each other on the back. Good discussion, but I vote we wrap it up and get back to motorcycles. I promise, last post on this topic for me ;-)

 

[DucButt]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

By the way, where's prolific poster Joe_Momma in this discussion? Out measuring the lean angles of open classers? Come back, Joe - Burnsie had a little comic relief at your expense, but we miss you...

 

[shamaj21]

Re: Selfishness vs. self-interest

Wow!

 

[sarnali]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

absoulutly right, i you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em, All this ranting about suv's is alot like joe citizen's ranting about bikes. And ford focus's {foci ? } are damn fine little cars, maybe you should drive one before you talk *****

 

[jamesohoh7]

Re: Burns:: Friday Fanaticism

I've never heard of that kind of fallacy of argument; what exactly is that, how does it work?

-James