"Did you know it's illegal in California to ride a bike that doesn't have a seat? Trevor Peek, 18, of Lincoln didn't. He's paying dearly.Tell us what you think of this.
Peek was riding his BMX bike without a seat – it had just been stolen – when an officer stopped and cited him for several violations, including failing to have a seat, riding without a brake, and riding in the wrong place on the road. Peek is not Joe Innocent. Riding brakeless, for one, is dangerous. But the family reports the citation tally topped $500."
__________________________
Observation, at the end of every month the police in your local communities need to meet certain quotas, usually informally imposed upon them by Supervisors. These made-up tickets are part of the revenue generation aspect of your local police. Don't you think that over the course of young Mr. Perk's life that this experience is going to stick in his memory? And how, predisposed is Mr. Perk going to be towards the authorities as he matures? And what will he tell his kids and others about respect due the authorities?
What is the message that we are sending about the Rule of Law with this sort of law enforcement? This is law enforcement over bullshit, it turns the law into bullshit. Or quoting Dickens from Oliver Twist, "If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble,… “the law is a ass—a idiot. If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience."
Posts
I just read in Bicycling magazine that Cleveland is the 39th most "bicycling friendly" city and it has a towpath trail that extends all the way to a place called Akron, which is 80 miles away!
ReplyDeleteLies, damned lies and statistics.
But I'm guessing the folks in Cleveland make you ride a bicycle without a seat that entire 80 miles along that alleged towpath. That's why they're 39th.
ReplyDeleteCruel, but better that than to ride seatless for the whole 800 miles to Toledo.
ReplyDelete