Wednesday, April 20, 2011

It's All Your Fault!

There are traffic lights going up at the intersection of Derby, Congress, and Hawthorne Boulevard. In fact, if you drive through there the lights are already up, and there is a crew there every day working underground at the corner where the Waterfront Hotel is. I don't like traffic lights, and I don't like spending money on them, but I'm all for this one. Why? YOU!

I travel through this intersection at least once a day, sometimes more. I can't remember the last time I went through there without seeing at least one driver doing something, illegal, asinine, or just plain dangerous. I've heard many complain about the addition of yet another stoplight. I'm here to tell you that they are the same people doing the stupid things that caused it. Show me one of the complainers about this and I'll show you one of the people who rides the bumper of the car in front of them through without stopping, or comes to the intersection with no cars in front of them, barely reaches a rolling stop and ignores the line of cars in every other direction before bombing through, or the person who ignores the fact that a pedestrian is crossing where they want to go, drives into the intersection, then stops in the middle because of the pedestrian, blocking everyone.

So yeah, they're putting a light there, you hate it, and you caused it.

__________

Apparently the "real-names" policy at the Salem News isn't working as well as they hoped. (You know, other than taking commenting almost down to zero. That part worked.) I can't imagine what other reason there would be for keeping the comments closed on this letter. Maybe they are afraid someone would point out how stupid the new name of HAWC is. They probably should have just left it alone, or come up with new initials.

7 comments:

  1. You are exactly right about this, Klassy Kat. You and I are the only ones not responsible for the lights, in my opinion.

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  2. I try hard not to be responsible for the lights. I but I've screwed up a few times over the years, but I do try to take stop signs seriously.

    Bet I've taken the right from Hawthorne onto Derby out of turn a few times before, though. Never cut off pedestrians, that's for sure.

    This light going in is a Good Thing to everyone but the former Northern_Lynn.

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  3. Personally, I hated all the anonymous commenting on the SNews. I found it a big turnoff to going to the site. So much disgusting vitriol disguised by anonymity.

    I welcome people coming out of the closet to reveal their true names ;)

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  4. I would, but I'm afraid you'd tease me about your college beating mine on the gridiron last season.

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  5. I liked the anonymous commenting. Though it was abused often, I still thought that the benefits were more important. I wouldn't have minded a system like some websites use where you register with your real name and then use any handle you want (with your real name not being visible to the public, but the site admins could get it if need be and also verify that you are real and not just a sockpuppet).

    As it was, I wrote nothing on the Snews with my Disqus handle that I wouldn't also have said in a letter (and occasionally did), and I wasn't married to my handle per se. But I dropped off the site because I believe in the principle of anonymity.

    On the other hand, I'm just initials here through Google but my real name is everywhere else (Twitter, my blog, my website, my business, etc.)

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  6. Another hint from G. This is killing me!!!

    On anonymous comments, I understand why some people might feel liberated to say what they really think by not using their real name.

    OTOH,some of the most vile shit and hate speech that gets posted could easily be filtered out if people had to own it.

    I love freedom of speech and the press. Who doesn't. But I don't think there should be any place for a lot of the racist and bigoted shit that gets spewed by anonymous commenters.

    If people would be ashamed to say something using their real name, they shouldn't be given free reign to say it in a public arena.

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  7. I like what you have to say above, John. Sure, it is a lot easier and safer to post under an alias, but I feel that if someone is going to level criticisms at a public figure (especially if they are going to resort to name-calling) then they ought to have the guts to use their real name; otherwise, they are just cowards in my opinion.

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Don't forget, keep it klassy!