Random Thoughts and Observations

I'd like to have red-light cameras at ALL intersections. The argument against them has always  been that they were deployed to create a revenue stream, not enhance safety, for the jurisdictions using them. So what? I'm happy to let lawbreakers contribute to government coffers instead of increasing taxes. But the benefit to public safety can't be denied. Every time I come to a busy intersection that has red-light cameras, I feel a little safer. Next time you go through one, note the different behavior.  When, exactly, DID  people begin to ignore red lights and unashamedly continue in streams to turn in front of oncoming traffic with a sense of entitlement? When I used to drive the old Suburban as my dog car, I often dreamed of forming a militia of like-minded people who would be willing to continue into an intersection when the light turned green---regardless of what idiot was turning, or continuing, on a red light into it. We would wear crash helmets, maybe even have some sort of logo on the car indicating that we were the red-light vigilantes. I'm sure there would be some sort of legal repercussion, if not at least public outrage, but if it made those idiots think twice, it would be worth it.

Continuing on the car theme, it's a pretty good bet that if you have one of those little flagpoles on your car, whether it's flying the American flag or one supporting a sports team, I won't like you. It so reminds me of little kids putting playing cards in the spokes of their bicycles.....when they're 5! Fne for game-day, or if you're attending a college rivalry game...but the adults who fly them proudly seem equally likely to have "God is Real", or "I'm the NRA and I Vote" on the bumper.  Ditto for the guys who jack up their gas-hog trucks and then deliberately make them  louder than they were designed to be. Usually, its some 4WD behemoth that is as likely to be needed off-road as their owner is to know how to drive it in snow.

I've come to the conclusion that impoverished Palestinians are very much like impoverished African Americans. When there are no jobs, limited educational opportunities and one's whole life is spent surrounded by violence, it shouldn't be surprising that despair becomes predominant. And in that environment, there's not that much difference between the Crips and Bloods and the more violent groups of Islamic militants. One wonders what the trillion dollars we spent fighting a useless war in Iraq might have accomplished  had it been invested in schools, hospitals and developing infrastructure. There....or here.