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From: mam@charm.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: mandatory seatbelt laws
Message-ID: <235@charm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Jan-84 13:52:38 EST
Article-I.D.: charm.235
Posted: Fri Jan 27 13:52:38 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 31-Jan-84 02:31:49 EST
References: <3438@tekecs.UUCP>, <525@ihuxn.UUCP>
Organization: Physics Research - AT&T Bell Labs MH
Lines: 31


	A few points about those $%%$%# seatbelts:

1)	I wear my seatbelt whenever driving, and whenever practical as a passenger.
However, in my car, I don't wear the shoulder belt. Why? Because said belt cuts me
across the throat when I do wear it, and it would decapitate me should an
accident happen. Do I really want a cop pulling me over because I was not
wearing a dangerous "safety" misfeature?  I know a woman who won't wear
seatbelts at all, because she was in an accident in which she would have
got killed had she worn the thing.  I don't agree with this as a reason for
not wearing the belts at all, but that's HER problem.

2)	If we make laws on the basis of "If you don't do what I KNOW is
right for you, then others will have to shoulder the burden of your mistake.",
where will it end?  Manditory physical exams each year?  Censorship of material
felt to be harmful to the psyche?  The banning of anything which has ever been
shown to cause cancer in mice?  For a look at where this line of thought can go
if taken to the limit, read Jack Williamson's "Huminoid" series. In it, a race
of robots is invented whose stated goal is to keep man (singular and collective)
SAFE. It got to the point where people were not allowed to handle sharp objects
or things with electricity - a robot had to be told to do it for them.  The
inventor of these robots finally saw the danger, so the robots gave him a
brain operation. He was very happy thereafter...  It turned out that the
robot's real purpose was to make sure than Man could not be a threat to the
nice, clean, ordered galaxy. Read these books and then think about helmet laws!

3)	Any flames about spelling, grammar, typography, etc. will be copied
over 100 times and mailed several times to the poster. Or maybe not; I might
think of something nastier. Cheers!

	{BTL}!charm!mam