Summer here in Portland usually means warm weather, Rose Festival, swimming in the river (always without a life jacket of course) and the Waterfront Blues Festival. This year, however, is different. This summer there is a war brewing on the streets of Portland. Don't bother calling 911 either. You see, the Portland Police have drawn a line in the sand by gently persuading our local bike riding crowd to please obey the laws. You see, not too long ago the Police had conducted a sting in Portland to catch a few law breaking cyclists in the act. The only catch was, the local bike crowd was tipped off to the sting before it happened. So, on the day of said sting, the Police found a few law breaking cyclists and dished out what can only be described as a brush of a feather on the wrist. Wouldn't that be nice the next time you were pulled over for speeding or some other infraction?
This is a serious issue here in Portland. So far this year we have had a few bike vs. car accident fatalities as well as a few bike vs. car road rage incidents. With the Rose City becoming one of the most bike accessable cities in the nation, we will only see more bikes on the road in the future. I have personally witnessed more than a few cyclists blowing stop signs and disrupting traffic around town. On the other hand, I have also been privy to more than a few motorists behaving badly as well. Who can forget the loon who sped down a local roadway while a dismounted cyclist clung for dear life by the cars windshield wipers? The trouble with this example is that the driver of a car has got a 99% chance of surviving a crash with a bicycle. So, we as responsible motorists realize that we need to share the road. In fact, a lot of motorists may have even set a personal goal to spend more time on their bikes. Another issue rears its ugly head when a small collection of local cyclists stick to their guns and flip the bird at the local state laws of the road. These militant cyclists would do well in a local Hells Angels chapter. They refuse to acknowledge that they are subject to the very same rules of the road that protect them and see themselves as local elite. Granted, I like to pedal the roadways as well. I realize that a collision between my car and a bicycle would be tragic...something I'm not sure I could live with. On the other hand, having a bunch of radical, militant cyclists on our streets is something I don't feel we can live with either.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Just another day
Today is Wednesday, just another day here in Portland, Oregon. I look around for the latest news and I'm amazed at all the goings on. Seems a dog named Casey fell off a 100 foot trail and a large, Mount Hood type rescue effort was conducted to save the pooches life. In the end, despite all these efforts, Casey had to be put down. I'll be looking for just such an all out effort the next time a dog or cat gets hit by a car. A representative for Dove Lewis animal hospital was interviewed by KXL's Lars Larson and danced around most of the pointed questions asked of her. Personaly, and I stress I am fond of animals, this type of large rescue effort was more than likely overkill. I have had pets that have been lost to illness, accidents and human error. I felt the loss of each one, but I moved on. When my cat Charlie got caught up a tree by a rampant Blue Jay, there was no large coordinated rescue effort. Oh, and I'm sure that rescue was not free, they never are. On the lighter side, we can now get our morning coffee here in Portland served up by a bevy of bikini clad Baristas. What a country! Personaly, I'm holding out for bikini clad DMV clerks.
On the Presidential trail, the messiah Obama continues to push his message on why he is the chosen one. His recent trip overseas to attempt to alleviate all of our fears that he REALY IS capable of a decent foreign policy turned a few heads to say the least. His refusal to visit wounded troops in Germany, however, was a slap in the face to those who have given their all for this country. I found it funny yesterday while Fox News was covering the 5.8 magnitude tremor that, in the words of one geologist interviewed, "None of us saw this coming". While all of this was going on, CNN had groundbreaking coverage of John McCains skin cancer tests complete with film of a band aid on his cheek. I guess that puts to rest all the negative critisism of Fox News huh? The way I see it, a major quake dwarfs CNN's attempt to make John McCain look weak.
Yes, Wednesday is turning out to be pretty good. Gas prices are down 20 cents in just under a month. Those greedy oil companies must be giving us all a break, right? So, to those of you who have gone into business for yourselves I pose these questions. How many of you went into business to lose money? How many of you went into business to share your profits with others? Remember these questions the next time our do nothing Congress (you know, the legislative branch of our Government with the approval rating WORSE than George Bush) drags the executives from the oil companies up to Capital Hill to DEMAND why they feel they can make a profit with their own business. Better yet, write your local member of Congress and ask whatever became of the 30 day plan to lower gas prices that was touted by Nancy Pelosi as the Democrats took over a majority in Congress. For my money, I still prefer the Bikini Baristas.
On the Presidential trail, the messiah Obama continues to push his message on why he is the chosen one. His recent trip overseas to attempt to alleviate all of our fears that he REALY IS capable of a decent foreign policy turned a few heads to say the least. His refusal to visit wounded troops in Germany, however, was a slap in the face to those who have given their all for this country. I found it funny yesterday while Fox News was covering the 5.8 magnitude tremor that, in the words of one geologist interviewed, "None of us saw this coming". While all of this was going on, CNN had groundbreaking coverage of John McCains skin cancer tests complete with film of a band aid on his cheek. I guess that puts to rest all the negative critisism of Fox News huh? The way I see it, a major quake dwarfs CNN's attempt to make John McCain look weak.
Yes, Wednesday is turning out to be pretty good. Gas prices are down 20 cents in just under a month. Those greedy oil companies must be giving us all a break, right? So, to those of you who have gone into business for yourselves I pose these questions. How many of you went into business to lose money? How many of you went into business to share your profits with others? Remember these questions the next time our do nothing Congress (you know, the legislative branch of our Government with the approval rating WORSE than George Bush) drags the executives from the oil companies up to Capital Hill to DEMAND why they feel they can make a profit with their own business. Better yet, write your local member of Congress and ask whatever became of the 30 day plan to lower gas prices that was touted by Nancy Pelosi as the Democrats took over a majority in Congress. For my money, I still prefer the Bikini Baristas.
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