From: brady_p@apollo.hp.com (Peter Brady)
Subject: Re: Dear Abby sez "Don't let kids get on motorcycles"
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 14:21:24 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Chelmsford, MA

In article <1ho2tsINNhhs@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> ellert@v32.uh.cwru.edu () writes:
>injury might provide.  A little test: if you were injured in an accident,
>say a truck kicked-up a good-sized rock which caused you to crash, how
>much responsibility would you take?  Would you go after the "deep-pockets"?
>How honest would you be?  On one hand there are the ethical issues, but
>on the other is the perception of what everyone else is getting away with.
>
I guess my Catholic upbringing gives me that "This Was God's Plan" thing
when something like this happens. See the "religious views of life" below
for a fuller explanation :-). Personally, I'd hope that my insurance
paid the medical bills. I don't believe in the "deep pockets" approach.
If the guy in the truck threw a rock at me that's a different story...

1) people climbing, or letting their kids climb on other people's bikes
I like the alarm idea. If the alarm goes off that will scare most people
away from the bike. The way I give kids an education about motorcycles
is to answer their questions when they see me with the bike. My parents
hated motorcycles -- the only way I learned about them as a kid was to
have friends whose parents were more enlightened. If I can pass the 
wealth along now to someone else, cool.

2) this litigious attitude we, as a country, insist on nurturing.
We aren't going to make a dent in that 'tude on the net. People in
the USofA have to learn to take responsibility for all their actions,
and stop blaming someone else for their mistakes. I'm getting on the
soapbox, but I have a reason: in my college days, I drove one summer
for a trucking company in New York City, driving 18-24 foot straight
jobs in and out of town making deliveries. On one return trip, I was
stopped in traffic on the LI Expy. A guy in a Caddy hit the rear of
the truck at an estimated 50mph. Trust me, it was not a pretty sight.
DOA. The autopsy said he was well over the limit for alcohol, and
was probably completely out when he hit the back of the truck. The
family of this guy tried to go after the trucking company, saying I
caused the accident. It never made it to court, because the evidence
was overwhelming against the deceased. I'm sorry that the guy got
snuffed, I feel bad about the family's loss, but it was his choice 
to drink and drive. For the family to try to make some extra bucks
from this is way over the top. My $0.02 anyhow.

--pete


               RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF LIFE

        Taoism      Shit happens.
  Confucianism      Confucius says: shit happens.
      Buddhism      If shit happens, it isn't really shit.
           Zen      What is the sound of shit happening?
      Hinduism      This shit happened before.
         Islam      If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.
 Protestantism      Let shit happen to someone else.
   Catholicism      If shit happens, you deserve it.
       Judaism      Why does this shit always happen to us?
       Atheism      I don't believe this shit.
   Agnosticism      What is this shit?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Brady                              EMAIL: brady_p@apollo.hp.com (Until 8 Jan 93)
Dirtbag Contractor from Hell(tm)        PHONE: 508-436-5226 (Until 8 Jan 93)

"Biking is not often concerned with logic, statistics or performance figures.
It is usually about as reasoning as love and as logical as art." -- Nick, M'Lud :-)

DoD #5831 -- Attractive Nuisance #5831 -- '92 CBR600F2 (on winter sabbatical :-( )