http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/27/tu...strians/print/


So there were seven more pedestrian deaths, a 0.4% increase, during the first six months of 2009 compared to the same time frame in 2010? And somehow this increase has been attributed to the use of personal music devices? Maybe it's because there are more pedestrians...maybe it's because of the drumbeat of government studies and public service announcements telling us how fat we are and goading us to get out and exercise. I sense the need for a new term to describe people that attribute misplaced blame on electronic devices...maybe technophobe.

Consider the recent demonization of cell phone use in cars and ipods while walking and biking despite the absence of a statistically significant increase in fatalities. Compare those accidental deaths to the much higher number of deaths due to AIDS and the direct connection to homosexual activity and willful unprotected sex, yet legislation banning that activity has been repealed in our recent past and those folks that raise concern regarding the inherently dangerous gay male lifestyle are labeled homophobes.

Extrapolating from the most recent data there could be around 4000 pedestrian deaths in 2011. Every year there are typically more than 17,000 deaths due to AIDS and nearly 50,000 new cases of diagnosed AIDS each year. And just for the sake of perspective, about a half million people in the US are reported by the CDC to die of cancer annually. So, it seems there are more pressing health risks to be worried about rather than jogging with an ipod. Let your representatives know how you feel about them micro-managing your life!

http://www.news-journalonline.com/ra...-lead-lap.html

Are they kidding?! Half the people on the road now shouldn't be driving and they can see.

The much maligned Bush era multi-color threat level system may be on its way out. According to the DHS website the threat level yoyos between yellow and orange most of the time and on rare occasions pops up to the red level for brief stints. Personally I believe the various threat levels were of absolutely no value to all but the military and first responders. I've always wondered what we the people were supposed to do differently as threat levels changed. If I witnessed a couple guys loading fertilizer and diesel fuel into the back of a rental truck I'd call the police regardless of the threat level. As a reminder the levels are:

Low: Green
•A green terror-threat level indicates that there is a low risk of terror attacks. The terror alert level has never been dropped this low.

Guarded: Blue
• level indicates that there is a general risk of terroristic activities. American citizens should remain aware that terrorism is a real possibility, but need not worry about imminent attacks.

Elevated: Yellow
•A yellow alert level represents a significant terror risk; citizens are to remain vigilant and work to reduce the risk of terror attacks by alerting authorities to any suspicious activities they may encounter during their daily activities.

High: Orange
•An orange level indicates that the Department of Homeland Security has reason to believe that a terrorist attack may soon be perpetrated on American soil. Citizens should remain attentive and await further instruction from local authorities. They should also prepare to respond to terrorist attack and ensure that they and their families have a plan to respond to such an emergency.

Severe: Red
•A red terrorism alert level signifies either that the Department of Homeland Security has very specific intelligence related to an attack or that we are currently under attack. Citizens are should avoid public places that may be potential terrorism targets and remain aware of their surroundings to ensure that they don't inadvertently encounter a potentially dangerous situation. This level is intended to be used during short periods of time when terrorism is imminent, and not as a normal status level on a day-to-day basis.

paraphrased from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6979697_thr...ls-colors.html


I suggest the new system be much simpler, maybe just two levels; under attack and not under attack.

I was sitting in a large auditorium last Thursday waiting; the start of the high school strings orchestra concert was thirty minutes away. Because of my interest in architecture I occupied my time by looking at the details of the room; the colors and finishes, materials, lighting and the flag. Displayed high on one wall, with the stars in the upper left corner as they should be, was the US flag. My first thought was how one determines the proper size flag to display in an auditorium but then my thoughts wandered to a stanza from Key's famous poem about a flag flying at Ft. McHenry, "...o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

My father instilled in me a deep respect for the flag and the National Anthem; I attribute this to his service in the Navy during WWII. In fact the last gift he gave me was his flag. I recalled after visiting his sister one time back in 1967 when I was very young, I asked him about a new flag she had in a box on her mantle. I remember Dad telling me she traded that flag, and the medal beside it, for her son; I didn't understand what he meant but I felt it best not to persue the issue.

As I looked at that flag hanging in the auditorium I couldn't help but wonder, would those same words, "...o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." come to mind today?

Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation feels cell phone use in cars is so dangerous that he is considering the idea of incorporating signal jamming technology in our cars to prevent their use.

I'm not wild about my state's recent legislation that makes it a crime to talk on my cell phone while I drive. It's a secondary offense which means the officer has to pull me over for something else before I can be cited but...at least the choice is left to me.

I presume the jamming device will limit operation the same as it does in my Jeep; if the vehicle is moving it jams the signal. So if my family and I are on a three-hour drive to WV my wife won't be able to call her mom from the passenger seat and my kids won't be able to text their friends.

The bottom line is that the vast majority of traffic accidents are caused by bad drivers and regardless of legislation bad drivers will find a way to cause accidents. Wonder why we don't go after them?