Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxn.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!floyd!whuxle!pyuxll!abnjh!u1100a!pyuxn!rlr From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP Newsgroups: net.followup Subject: Re: enforcement of mandatory seatbelt laws Message-ID: <426@pyuxn.UUCP> Date: Fri, 27-Jan-84 19:01:16 EST Article-I.D.: pyuxn.426 Posted: Fri Jan 27 19:01:16 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 31-Jan-84 02:30:15 EST References: <923@druxy.UUCP> Organization: Central Services Org., Piscataway N.J. Lines: 39 We have reached the extremities of the nonsense universe. The notion of "it is my right" to be a moron. Giving morons freedom of choice is a very dangerous thing especially when their decisions to "do what they want" (they apparently believe in free will) affect other human beings. It's very simple. Things that you consider to be "rights" and "freedoms" are not things to be taken for granted, but rather earned. Those who cannot show a reasonable level of competence in an activity should not be allowed to do it. Those who would complain about this are either (1) incompetent enough that they would lose their freedom as a result (too f**king bad!) or (2) too lazy to learn how to achieve a reasonable level of competence. Who the hell says you have a right to drive the way you want to on roads where other people drive, on roads for which other people paid their share? Before being allowed to exercise a "right" one should be required to show that one knows how to exercise it properly (meaning without causing damage to the lives of other people). Would there ever have been any clamor at all about the right not to wear seatbelts if there had never been any other way to drive a car than with a seatbelt? Of course not. One might just as well argue, then, that a person released from prison after serving a term for mass murder should be allowed to continue to behave as he used to, because otherwise his freedom would be curtailed. I'm not concerned with the means by which people show their competence, just that they do. Leave it to societal engineers to figure out. And if you don't like the dangers inherent in societal engineering (wow, like, 1984, man, bummer!), then stop a second to realize that it goes on anyway, whenever a commercial for a Schlockomotors ZPL-X-1000 TURBO-CAR is aired on the top-rated TV show "Let's Kill Some Minorities" (a comedy produced by Fred Silverman). So there. Uhh, isn't this net.flame?? Summing it all up (that's my job) -- Pardon me for breathing... Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr