[Paddlewise] How and when to speak up

I have to speak up on this issue.

I've been paddling less than a year, but I've been riding motorcycles since
I was 13. 33 years now. Raced for a while. Have had some pretty spectacular
wrecks and walked away. I never get on a bike without a helmet, and only
very rarely without a leather jacket. I drive fast. I always wear my
seatbelt. I don't smoke. I don't get in a kayak without a wetsuit and PFD.
Of course, the water is generally about 55 in the pacific outside the
golden gate. I always dress for the water temp.

Having said that, I dislike having my freedoms legislated. I dislike laws
that tell me what to do to save myself from myself. I would be against
helmet laws except for one point, and one point only. I have, through my
taxes, to pay for the idiot who merely becomes a vegetable in his wreck
instead of having the good grace to die. I don't like that at all. 

What I would really like to see is total freedom coupled with total
responsibility. Don't wear a helmet if you don't want too. But there should
be no public care for head injuries resulting from the accidents of those
without helmets. None. Period.

Smoke if you want to. Just don't do it around me. I react in a very hostile
manner to cigarette smoke. It gives me a nasty headache, and if you cause
me pain, I'll be happy to share. One of the reasons that I like the
outdoors is that I generally can avoid that stuff. I don't go where smoking
is considered OK. I think that anyone who started smoking after 1970 should
forever be debarred from suing the tobacco companies. You knew the probable
concequences. You make a choice. Live or die by the choice.

Paddle in any cloths you want. But make sure that the relatives pay for the
funeral. SAR is a public responsibility. No more problem to pick up a dead
body than a live one.

Sound harsh? It is. However, I believe that this is the logical conclusion
to those who wish to have their freedoms, unsullied by the results of their
actions on the system as a whole.

By the way, I REALLY don't want the coast guard to begin checking out my
clothing on a regular basis due to legislation resulting from public
reaction to the deaths of the ignorant or stubborn.







***********************************************
* Matthew Blumenthal                          *
* Fremont CA                                  *
* Potter, Guitar Player, General Computer Nut *
* mattb_at_ix.netcom.com                         *
* http://www.mattegrafix.com                  *
* ICQ	12691259                              *
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