by Colin Hyde
The most conscientious user of the highway is a man on a motorbike with his woman on “pillion” and their child between them. There is only one thing on his mind: getting himself and his precious cargo safely to where they’re going. Now, he might not be the best handler of a motorbike, he might not know all the rules of the road, and for financial reasons he might not have all the safety gear; but his heart is in the right place, and if there is half the love on the highway that is in his heart, he will get his prize without event to where they are going.
We rarely hear of the man with his present and his future with him on his bike, getting into trouble. But it has happened, and when it does, usually it is some unconscionable driver that slammed into him.
There are too many drivers on the highways with little love in their hearts. The hearts of some drivers out there are dark, selfish, extreme capitalist. They resent being “impeded” by “little” people on motorbikes. Yes, there are some motorcyclists who are selfish too. Some on big bikes are on a big showoff, and have no respect, and there are some on small bikes that are giddy. Those ones, if they were in vehicles they would drive without love too. Far and away, most motorcyclists are humble people who ride bikes because it is an efficient means of transport, what they can afford.
I absolutely do not endorse three on the motorbike. But on the flight to Egypt, Joseph and Mary and their little baby would have been on a motorbike, not in an SUV. And with just a little love out there, they would make it safely.
That’s not funny, Mr. Trump
The present US president-elect is a businessman who has some investments in the entertainment world. In one of his more popular shows, he got a lot of juice out of delivering the line: “You are fired!” That’s a terrifying line, especially to lower-level employees who have nowhere to go when they lose their job. But there’s a time for everything under the sun. One of Mr. Trump’s criticisms of his predecessors is that they kept on people who were performing poorly because they didn’t like to fire. If his predecessors coddled incompetence, well, on that he is right. People in top jobs who gum up the workplace need to get the heave-ho. One bad or incompetent aapl can ruin the whole barrel.
Because of their love of jokes, oftentimes to obsession, comedians sometimes land on some real sour ones. Those of us who have televisions don’t forget the recent roast of former NFL quarterback Tom Brady which landed in some sick territory. Some “jokes” are too serious to be funny. It was a bad-taste joke from Trump that Canada is the 51st state of the US, and so is the talk of the US contemplating sending troops onto sovereign Mexican territory to fight cartels. Americans like that kind of rudeness. Canada and Mexico don’t, and neither do we.
Neither Canada nor Mexico has nuclear weapons. As far as I know, Mexico has never expressed interest in owning nuclear weapons, and Canada has flat out declined such an arsenal. NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative) says “Canada does not have nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or relevant delivery systems, and is a member in good standing of all relevant nonproliferation treaties and regimes. A significant producer and exporter of dual-use goods, particularly relating to civil nuclear applications, Canada also plays an active role in nonproliferation export control regimes.”
A Canadian MP who didn’t take the insult lightly—Trump referring to Canada as the 51st state of the US—listed a number of strengths of his country, and said they were in on saving the world from the monster Hitler before the Americans were. We were too. Like the US, Canada and we in Belize were colonies of the British.
The US faces serious divisions within, and around the world many would want their divisions to spill into something that weakens their fabric. But most countries in this part of the world, Belize for sure, have no such dreams. We like the US being strong. But we don’t want to be bullied, and we don’t like for the US to bully our neighbors.
The US must recognize the sacred trust it holds as the only country with nuclear weapons in our part of the world. Yes, we over here like that the US has big capacity, because we need the protection from countries on the next side of the world where they are running an arms race. But no one countenances disrespect, even if in jest.
DUI – one time when it’s best to judge a book by its cover
In the wake of so many serious road accidents, like one after the other, and a charge of drunk driving levied on a man who was involved in a fatal accident recently, and drunk driving being at the root of many traffic accidents (data from the US attribute 32% of traffic fatalities in that country to drunk drivers), drunk driving is a feature in the discussion we’re having to improve road safety.
At the fore, let me state that I think drunk driving is wrong and should be punished. I can’t recall ever doing it, but I shouldn’t boast that I’ve never been behind the wheel drunk, because I’ve never really had the opportunity. In my best—or worst—drinking days I didn’t have a vehicle, or lived within walking distance of the waterhole.
I believe that speeding is worse than driving while a little high. When I was a young man, my Cayo South/BMP friends and I liked to hang out at Blue Angels Club in San Ignacio on weekends. My buddy had a car, and a number of us used to tag along. My buddy wouldn’t even drink beer. But he was a speed merchant. What the hell, I prefer me a little high at 40 mph than my cold sober buddy at 70 mph. So I had to find other haunts. Ah, I note that it is so that some intoxicated drivers like speed. A driver who is inebriated should never be behind the wheel.
The story out there is that people talking on phones are a big contributor to accidents. I’ve seen a guy yakking off on a phone while travelling on his bike, so some of these bikes must have automatic transmission. I think if you need to answer a phone you should pull over to the side of the road. Talking personal responsibility, other major contributors to road accidents are fatigue, which could be worse than driving while a little over the limit, and driving vehicles with bad steering or tires.
Apparently, it’s in the minds of some people that the young driver of the car involved in our worst RTA might have had a drink or two. Melchor and Champon having been in his path that day, it’s natural to think he had a couple Gallo. I absolutely don’t think any forensics could establish if he was driving while impaired, even if his body wasn’t affected by the fire. The science says they can detect alcohol in the blood for up to 12 hours, but there are other factors that have to be considered.
From my personal files, I’ve told you that the best Belikin is before dinner. A couple and I feel very nice. Two beers wouldn’t put me over the legal limit, but I’d be far more “nice up” with a hungry 2 than 10 on a stomach filled with solid food. If you eat solid food, you can drink a lot before you get tipsy.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers (RIL), in the story “How Many Beers Is .08?”, says body weight is a factor when determining how much alcoholic beverages one can consume before their blood alcohol concentration reaches levels that make it illegal to drive. RIL also noted that we don’t all process alcohol the same way, that food is a factor, and that 3 beers in an hour could take some people to impairment levels.
I’ve heard of people ducking urine and blood samples after accidents. I think in some instances a physical examination of the person—their speech, locomotion, and looks—says more than a test. A little video on the spot would tell the tale far better than forensics could.
Justice
Allowed or not allowed, I congratulate the magistrate for fining, not jailing, a Mr. Emile Brackett for his absolutely faysi act of rubbing a girl’s face and trying to kiss her. I have heard the term “sexual assault” thrown around, but maybe the “right” category there is common assault. Brackett was rude, brazen, disrespectful, chaansi. I heard he is remorseful. It was a moment of absolute craziness from that oldster. Well, he is properly embarrassed; across the land he is shamed, and on top of that he must pay a hefty fine. I like that kind of justice.