🚀 go-pugleaf

"Al Smith" <invalid@address.com> wrote in message 
news:h07cge$m9r$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> On 6/3/2009 6:57 PM, JD wrote:
>>
>> "Al Smith" <invalid@address.com> wrote in message 
>> news:h04m90$7ri$1@news.eternal-september.org...
>>> On 6/2/2009 9:32 PM, Caper wrote:
>>>> "Al Smith" <invalid@address.com> wrote in message 
>>>> news:h03e88$die$5@news.eternal-september.org...
>>>>> On 6/2/2009 8:43 AM, Corvis wrote:
>>>>>> I have to relay an experience I had yesterday on Connaught Avenue.
>>>>>> I was walking south on Connaught avenue just short of the corner of
>>>>>> Berlin st. The Guy walking in front of me stepped off the curb at
>>>>>> Berlin and at the same a time a maroon van pulled up to the corner 
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> went past the corner almost smoked the guy walking. So the Pedestrian
>>>>>> smacks the side of the van and the guy driving jumps out and chases
>>>>>> him accross the street threatening to kill him while the ped is 
>>>>>> asking
>>>>>> why the guy almost drove him over. It was hilarious, here was this
>>>>>> driver spit flying out his mouth and face all red , when it was his
>>>>>> actions who were at fault.
>>>>>> The Ped was calling the police on his cell phone but the woman who
>>>>>> wasn't driving screamed at her husband to get in the van while she
>>>>>> drove. I managed to see the license as it pulled away. When stepping
>>>>>> off the curb on Connaught avenue look out for a Maroon van lic# ERB
>>>>>> 455 or ERB 445. I guess stopping for pedestrians is now a suggestion.
>>>>>> I kept thinking what would I have done in teh same situation.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Be careful out there folks
>>>>>
>>>>> The van driver was in the right. Pedestrians should not be permitted 
>>>>> to get away with striking passing vehicles. How would you like it if 
>>>>> some nut whacked your car with a stick as you drove past? For all this 
>>>>> van driver knew, there was a big dent in his van. As far as I'm 
>>>>> concerned, a pedestrian that hits a passing car is an asshole, and 
>>>>> deserves to get their lights punched out.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Al-
>>>>
>>>> And if he struck the pedestrian in a crosswalk and put a dent in his 
>>>> van? Should he still have the right to get out and punch him? It a 
>>>> fucking STOP sign people. If you can't obey a simple rule of the road 
>>>> such as this, you shouldn't be behind the wheel. Period. People need to 
>>>> look further than the tip of their hood when driving, if you see an 
>>>> upcoming crosswalk, stop sign, intersection, etc. when there are 
>>>> pedestrians present, you should have the proper care and control of 
>>>> your vehicle to SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!
>>>>
>>>> It's ridiculous that so many people are in such a mad rush to beat the 
>>>> yellow light, to beat the crosswalk lights, to arrive at their 
>>>> destination 5 seconds earlier. And HRM is extremely notorious for 
>>>> terrible drivers who don't know what the lever on the left of the 
>>>> steering wheel is for, what the brake pedal is for, or apparently what 
>>>> a stop sign is for.
>>>>
>>>> Would you be so sympathetic for the driver if he ran over your wife, 
>>>> son, daughter, mother or anyone close to you? "Well he stopped 2 feet 
>>>> past the stop sign so at least he made the effort...."
>>>>
>>>> Not all of this rant was directed at you Al, it was a bit of a reply to 
>>>> most comments in this thread defending the driver......
>>>
>>>
>>> My take on the story, as it was stated in this group, is two-fold.
>>>
>>> One, drivers make mistakes. No use getting incensed about it when it 
>>> happens, because every driver makes mistakes on a regular basis.
>>>
>>> Two, pedestrians don't have the right to hit passing cars they happen to 
>>> take a dislike to, for whatever reason.
>>>
>>> I don't blame the driver for jumping out and trying to punch the 
>>> pedestrian. It was a natural impulse, which most of us would have 
>>> managed to control -- but still  a natural impulse.
>>>
>>> How would you like it if you stopped at a light and some doofus took it 
>>> into his head to slam his fist into the door panel of your car or truck? 
>>> Would you be happy? Would it be justified, if the doofus did it because, 
>>> in his mind, you'd committed some sort of traffic violation? I don't 
>>> think you'd be very happy.
>>>
>>> -Al-
>>
>> He wasn't stopped.  He was running a stop sign.
>>
>> I was hit in a crosswalk about two years ago; not hard, but enough to 
>> notice.  Arsepick was on a cellphone.  He looked at me shocked, but 
>> didn't even hang up, ask how I was; nothing.  I walked over to the 
>> driver's side window, which was open, grabbed the phone and threw it 
>> against the building, then dared him to get out of the car.
>>
>> Pedestrians have to be careful because you always lose against a vehicle; 
>> always.  But, when some dork doesn't observe the rules of the road and 
>> nearly clip me, I also kick his door, slap his windshield or whatever; 
>> reminds him he is an idiot.
>>
>> In this case, if the pedestrian was crossing at a stop sign where the 
>> driver was supposed to stop, the driver is at fault.  The pedestrian 
>> might have been dead right if he hadn't been nimble enough, but he is 
>> still right.
>
>
> You reacted irrationally, and badly, due to fear, coupled with a sudden 
> burst of adrenalin. Lots of people who don't have much in the way of 
> self-control do so. Not something to be proud of, or to brag about. 
> Really, it's something to be embarrassed about.
>
> -Al-

I wasn't the LEAST embarrassed. I have plenty of self control, and when I 
noticed his window open, I had every intetion of doing what I did.  It was 
completely controlled; pissed off, but completely controlled.  And after I 
had done it, it made me feel a whole lot better.

Nothing is so important when you are driving that you should be doing that 
and not paying 100% attention to your driving.