Stupidity as population control.

One thing that pisses me off to no end is when I read articles about people who were shot by police for refusing to drop a weapon or show their hands. Today the Seattle Times had a feature about a University of Washington student who was shot at 2 AM Thursday. Police responded to a call about some people shooting guns off in a residential area. They responded and knocked on the door of the house in question, and a young man wearing a nazi uniform and armed with a bayonette/rifle opened the door. After several requests for him to drop his weapon, police shot the man. He later died at the hospital. (Article link here)

Of course the article mentions his friends who talk about what a great guy he was, how he wouldn't hurt a fly, etc etc. I don't care how wonderful and nice of a person he was, if he doesn't have the intelligence to drop his weapon on police command, he deserves to be shot. The police were doing their job and were completely justified in shooting. It's simple common sense people: if the police are pointing guns at you and asking you to drop a weapon, put your hands up, or whatever else, you do it. If there is a misunderstanding, it can all be sorted out once you comply with them. People who don't listen to the police and get themselves shot (or killed) are just plain acting stupid.

I feel bad for the cops who had to shoot him, and I feel bad for his family and friends who mourn his loss. What a waste of life...all because he didn't put down the stupid gun! The other thing that bothers me is reading the comments on the soundoff board. It's amazing how many people think the police are all bad and corrupt and think that the police purposely shoot people without warning. Seriously? I have always had complete respect for the police and the job they do.

There are no words....

Tonight I found out that my grandmother was robbed today. She left her door unlocked while her gardener was over working in the yard, and a strange man walked into her house. He stole several hundred dollars in cash from her purse, all her credit cards, and tons of her antique jewelry she has spent a lifetime collecting.

Grandma is a sweet old lady, blind in one eye and barely mobile (she uses a walker but should be in a wheelchair). It really takes a low life to walk into an old woman's home and steel from her, right in front of her, while she is unable to fight for her property. She is completely devastated about this, as is the whole family who have allowed her the freedom to continue living on her own. I hope that the man who did this is caught, or at least experiences the karmic repercussions he is due for such a horrible crime.

Critical Mass-holes.

In Seattle many bicyclists participate in the monthly "critical mass" demonstration where hundreds of cyclists gather and take to the streets. In my extensive research on the topic (ok, that's a lie, I really just looked on wikipedia), I found out that it was started to draw attention to the general sense of bicycle unfriendliness in urban areas. Each month on the last Friday of the month, cyclist in cities all over the world gather and take to the streets during rush hour traffic.

I personally have always felt that demonstrations like this are really stupid. Blocking the roadways to try to make a point seems really selfish, arrogant, and immature to me. Is that really the best way to get a point across?

I think that Seattle is generally a pretty bike friendly town, the city has dumped countless dollars into road improvment projects and have created bike lanes through all the downtown streets. What do these bicyclists want, a medal? They complain that people don't yield to them or give them enough space. I'm sure there are cyclists who do obey the rules of the road, but I have personally witnessed a lot of bikers who ride reckless and dangerously.

The other day in the local newspapers it was reported that a driver got caught in the critical mass demonstration this past Friday while pulling out of a parking space in his subaru wagon. He was pulled from his car and beaten by cyclists who were angry the guy was in their way. The mob of angry bikers slashed the guys tires, dented in his car, and broke out the windows, in addition to splitting his head open. This is insane! A few of the bikers were arrested for malicious mischief. It should've been assault charges if you ask me. Also, why the heck doesn't the Seattle Police do more to either contain or stop the critical mass from occuring? They know when it will happen each month, why do they turn a blind eye? Something needs to be done to stop these out of control bikers from hurting people.

In SF they also have a monthly critical mass. Last fall, as he was recovering from surgery and walking with a cane, my dad stepped out of a restaurant and into a crosswalk in downtown SF. As he slowly moved across the street (with the white "walk" symbol illuminated across the road) suddenly the critical mass came barreling down the road. Other pedestrians in the crosswalk were able to scramble to safety, but my dad with his cane was slow moving. A biker clipped him as he rode by, knocking my dad to the ground. As he lay bleeding and trying to get up, bikers yelled mean things to him and he was almost run over by another. My dad ended up going to the hospital to stitch up his face and hands, and the biker was never caught for his actions.

F'ing cyclists.