If this happened everyday, my blog would be publishing every day. But then, it’s not every day that common sense falls by the wayside. Oh, wait …

Arizona could become the second state in the nation to allow cyclists to yield at stop signs instead of stop if a bipartisan measure can garner enough support to become law.

But House Bill 2211 faces an uphill battle. Similar efforts have failed in previous years.

The bill would allow bicyclists 16 and older to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. Cyclists could ride through without stopping if there were no other cars around but would still have to stop and yield to any cars in the intersection.

Idaho is currently the only state with such a law.

Supporters say the bill would make Arizona much more bike-friendly and encourage more riders.

“When you’re out there riding and you know you’re coming upon a four-way stop and there’s not a car in sight, it’s really annoying to stop,” said Jeremy Stapleton, 32, an urban designer who rides to work in central Phoenix. “Hopefully this would incentivize people to ride more often.”

Read more: Arizona Bill May Loosen Rules

Let’s re-write that a bit and see if it makes sense, shall we?

“The bill would allow vehicle operators 40 and older to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. Operators could drive through without stopping if there were no other cars around but would still have to stop and yield to any cars in the intersection.”

There. Following the logic of the Mr. Stapleton, this would be a lot less annoying while driving. We wouldn’t have to stop at all those pesky stop signs if no one else was in the area. The problem with Mr. Stapleton’s statement is that currently, bicyclists treat stop signs as non-existent, even when there are cars in the intersection. More than a few times per trip downtown, I have either been nearly sideswiped by a bicyclist, or had to slam the brakes when one appeared in front of me.

Tell you what: how’s about all the users of the roads in Arizona follow the rules of the road? That way, everyone will be able to predict what someone will and won’t do on the occasion of encountering another vehicle on the road – you know, things like USING YOUR SIGNALS WHEN YOU CHANGE LANES; driving on the correct side of the road, at the correct speed; stopping at stop signs; not stopping at yield signs for no reason; staying in your lane – and these are just the bicyclists. Figure the people of this state transfer those driving abilities to how they operate a motor vehicle and no wonder we have one of the highest accident rates in the nation.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Tweet

Hi there! Thanks for not giving up on me. I know I don’t write very often, but I do try to write about things that strike me as being important, or at least personal stuff that I feel OK to share with you (as long as you don’t go blabbing to everyone else, this is a private conversation, you know … )

So – you ask, “Cary, what has grabbed your attention on this fine, chilly Tuesday morning?”

I, being the polite type that I am, reply “Two things – West Point and pregnant criminals.” Since I subscribe to the Arizona Republic, I figured I would share an article with you, giving my comments in the process. (i’m going to try a fourteen day trial of getting the paper on my kindle, have any of my faithful readers ever done that? honestly, i am concerned about the quality of the comics on the kindle …)

First, from the article Bill Limits Shackling of Pregnant Inmates (and no, i couldn’t make this up if i tried):

A bipartisan group of lawmakers hopes Arizona will join 14 other states in limiting how and when jails can shackle pregnant women.

Really? OK, I understand the need to have rules on when you can and cannot use restraints on a prisoner. My “Really?” was aimed at the women who are so mentally challenged that they would place their unborn child in a criminal environment. Idiots. If you are offended by the thought of your child seeing you in restraints, even as they are being born, then don’t do anything that warrants shackles. Morons. I love this part:

“This practice is not just dangerous to the mother but it’s also dangerous to the baby being born,” ACLU of Arizona Public Policy Director Anjali Abraham said. “If you’ve had a baby or been in the labor room with a woman, you know their biggest priority is having that baby. They are not going to jump off the bed and take off.”

Great. The ACLU is involved. At least they recognize that the last thing on a woman’s mind during childbirth is “Hey, I’m not tied down, I should make a break for it!”

(shakes head in disbelief that society has fallen this far)

In this Wall Street Journal article a question is raised. Not, apparently, in the minds of the “journalists” at the Wall Street Journal, but in the mind of a veteran who tends to keep up with current events.

(i don’t normally read the wsj, but i couldn’t find the article i was going to use on azcentral.com, so i had to use my google-fu)

WEST POINT, N.Y. — A retired U.S. general who made comments denigrating Islam has been invited to speak to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy during a national prayer breakfast next month.

The Times Herald-Record of Middletown reports (http://bit.ly/wyhEis ) that Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin is among the speakers scheduled to attend the Feb. 8 event at West Point. Military academy officials say Boykin will speak to a gathering of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cadets.

The first question that popped into my mind was, obviously, why are there muslim Cadets at West Point? Have we learned nothing?

Please note: if you are offended that I object to muslims serving in the United States Armed Forces, then pack your bags and move to a muslim-controlled country. Get the hell out of my country. At the very least, get off this page and never return. In case you haven’t noticed, we are at war, and the enemy is muslims and their religion of terror and political control, islam. (in case you think that there are moderate members of islam, go read the koran again. there is nothing moderate about being a follower of a pedophile who calls for the death of all who do not practice islam)

Don’t worry, the uproar caused by his invitation has caused him to decline the invite. Which is fine with me, because he namby-pambied around it and issued an apology for speaking his mind back in 2003 when he said “… Muslims worship idols …“

Well, now I’m all worked up. I’m going to go read the comics. I should have just gone straight to them this morning. Maybe I’ll start that fourteen day trial on the Kindle, too.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Tweet

My day off has switched to Tuesdays. It may change again in the future, depending on the scheduling needs of the store. We’ve been training a new closer, and so far so good. It will be nice to be back down to 45 hour weeks again …

Since it’s my day off, I will be working on the cars. Mine, because it’s old and needs nearly constant attention, and TMBWitW’s, because it has decided to cop an attitude now that it’s paid off. For instance, today it wants a new starter, I think – I’m going to have to jumpstart it and get it to the nearest diagnostician.

And then there’s the cats.

They have decided that they want to live outside, so I will be building them an area of safe refuge in a shady corner of the yard. You know, keep the dogs out of their food bowls, someplace to curl up and take a nap without worrying about the dogs using them as chew toys, etc. MEG keeps asking when the “Cat House” will be ready for them …

Well, the longer I use the computer the longer the chores will take.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Tweet

Goodbye, 2011. Nice way to leave – TMBWitW was rear-ended yesterday before MEG’s birthday party. On the other hand, the store had a good year, and we will be spending this evening with people we love.

Hello, 2012 – I am so looking forward to voting the Obamanation out of office I can hardly wait for November. What does it say in the sidebar? As of New Year’s Eve, there are 385 days of Obama left. I can hardly contain my excitement – but it is tempered with the unknown of who the next leader is going to be, and where he is going to lead. (yes, I said “he”. this country isn’t ready for a female leader.)

My prayer for all of you, dear readers, is that you have a safe and joyous time this evening, and that 2012 is prosperous for you.

Auld Lange Syne, ya’ll.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Tweet

Kind of weird, today – since I’ve changed my day off to Tuesday and I no longer have Friday to loll about the pool. Turns out that in retail, it is very unusual for a manager to have Friday off, and being new to retail I didn’t know that. That has now changed, with all necessary changes made to the logistics involved with having a young child.

Speaking of which – she turns 5 today. Hard to believe that it’s been five years since God blessed us with MEG’s presence. She is so grown up – she’s reading, and knows basic math, and the way her mind works is just wonderful to watch. She will look at something and puzzle out the how or why, and then ask if what she figured out was correct.

Due to the agreement with her mother, I will not be posting a picture of her on this blog. You might be able to catch a view of her on Facebook, in occasional pictures here and there.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!