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From: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: Seat Belts and Big Brother
Message-ID: <804@burl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 19:43:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: burl.804
Posted: Wed Aug 14 19:43:23 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 02:33:33 EDT
References: <316@baylor.UUCP> <145@batman.UUCP> <2193@amdcad.UUCP>
Reply-To: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Burlington NC
Lines: 46

In article <2106@iddic.UUCP> dhs@iddic.UUCP (David H. Straayer) writes:
>for my actions."  Perhaps some day an overly safety-paranoid
>society will decide that riding motorcycles is "dangerous" in the
>same sense as not wearing seat belts (I hope not).  If so, better
>that you should be able to accept the risk (this may involve no
>more than paying higher insurance premiums) and continue to ride
>motorcycles.

If I own a building in a town (the whole building), it is illegal for
me to climb it; even with proper mountaineering gear.

If I own a hangglider, it is illegal for me to fly it off even a tiny
mountain unless I have obtained a Hang-3 rating (many many hours).

In many states, it is illegal for me to ride a motorcycle without a
helmet.  (Cheers to South Carolina for repealing their helmet law.)

In the plant here in Burlington, I work in a large building that is
totally offices (for the nonce, anyway).  When we order out for a
pizza from Domino's, we have to tell them not to bring any Pepsi's
because they only have them in bottles, and no glass is allowed in
the plant for safety reasons.  Period.  If I come in to work on a 
Saturday or Sunday, I cannot wear shorts.  We cannot (technically)
have a coffeepot, for Pete's sake!!

They sound silly, but start adding them up.  These are risks that
affect ME, not other people; or are so ludicrous (the things here in
the plant, for example) as to not affect anyone.  Society decides that
motorcycles are "dangerous" and raises insurance?  Maybe you should
worry about society deciding that motorcycles are "dangerous" and
BANNING them.

Ah, you are laughing at me and my concern for personal freedoms (probably).
Well, consider that here in North Carolina in a small community the
drive-in theatre was recently banned from showing X-rated films.  No
big deal.  Except that the judge in his statement said that (paraphrasing):
"This sets the precedent for local communities to set their own legal
guidelines in the area of pornography."  Playboy and Penthouse are
certainly subversive.  So are almost all Harlequin romance novels, those
steamy devils!!  And the local TV station shouldn't be showin' them
sex-polluted thangs like Shogun and the Thornbirds, now should it, Martha?
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291)
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