Oh, deer....

I love this; people actually calling the police because there is a deer in their yard. I mean, come on already! What are the police gonna do, arrest the deer for tresspassing? Ok, so there's a deer in your yard, it's eating your flowers, your dog is barking, the neighbors are taking cell phone pictures, and you are afraid to go out of the house. What do you do? The answer is nothing. That's right, do nothing. The deer will go away when it's done. Or you could open the door, in which case the deer will run away anyhow. Deer do not attack humans. Of that you can rest assured.

But what are we going to do about the deer "problem". Gee, what problem would that be? If I were a deer, I would be thinkin' 'what er we gonna do about the human problem?' See, the deer are not invading your space. Quite the contrary. It's the other way around. They have been there for hundreds, if not thousands of years. You just didn't see them until Joe Contractor bulldozed it's habitat and built houses on it. The deer aren't going to go away simply because you bought a house where it's home used to be. The more congested it becomes, the more animals you see. And not just deer; raccoons, ground squirrels, woodchucks, skunks, and numerous other critters. But they are not quite as visible as deer. Also with a bigger human population, hunting is restricted, and the deer get comfortable and confident because they are not being shot at. Thus, the deer population flourishes.

We all know what those big red blotches on the highway are. I don't have to say it. And how many times do you see dead deer in a ditch on the side of the road while you are on your way to work. When you drive unaware, a deer will challenge your driving skills always at the most inopertune moment. But still, it isn't the deer's fault. Deer act or react by instinct alone and not with any modicum of reasoning as we perceive it. To blame the deer for damaging your favorite tree would be like blaming Santa Claus because there is too much snow. Besides, maybe the tree you planted just happens to be the deer's favorite tree also. The difference is you as a human have the ability to make a conscious decision to purchase and plant the tree in the first place. The deer's brain isn't that complicated. It just knows it likes the tree (or doesn't like it).

Believe me, the deer are not invading. So, next time you look out the window and see a deer in your yard, just take another sip of coffee and read your paper. It'll go away. It'll probably be back tomorrow, but then, that's not the deer's fault. Later.

Dude, hang it up!

If you are messing with your phone while driving, you better just stop it right now. Illinois has passed a law restricting the use of texting and twittering while driving. Well....duh!! I am unsure of the fine structure, but I don't think it's gonna be too funny for a lot of people. Used to be in the olden days be fore cell phones (How much of the crowd did I just lose?) you would see countless people on the expressways reading a book or putting on makeup while waiting to get through the toll booth. Now we have the I-pass, and although you are only supposed to go through the booth at 20 mph, people fly through at speeds in excess of 50 mph, and then wonder why they get a ticket in the mail for blowing a toll booth.

This is going to be interesting...seeing how it's going to be dealt with in the courts. I'm sure there are going to be numerous challenges, basically because it addresses a "problem" that has not been addressed before. A small town in Ohio regulated the use of cell phones while driving because it was viewed as a real traffic hazard. And it was, and still is, a traffic hazard. People don't devote all their attention to their driving skills while they are on the phone, and we all know the result. Of course it's always the other guy and not you that caused the problem in the first place. Some of you will argue that the use of these electronic devices is no more distracting than tuning your radio. For some, tuning their radio causes traffic crashes.

There will be those who will go to court and argue that by the law not allowing them to use these services they are losing fortunes because they cannot conduct business while traveling. Mothers will complain that they cannot keep track of their children, thereby not being the best parent they could be. Still others will maintain that their social agendas will be compromised because the use of their electronic devices is so severely restricted. I really can't say as I sympathize with that. I believe the state Illinois is doing the right thing to save lives and better regulate the flow of traffic. But then, a lot of people always whine and complain like children about any regulation created for their own good. I am old enough to remember when there was no such thing as a car phone unless you were a rich guy, and then you sat in the back seat, not behind the wheel.

The advent of these electrononic toys has turned a convenience into an absolute necessity for may people all over the world. What would they do without them? Die of boredom, I suppose. Later.

Hey, you got a license?!

People get into bad habits, and do them so often they don't catch themselves in time before something bad happens. For instance, twice this morning within ten minutes, I had to avoid traffic hazards that would have resulted in a crash simply because people weren't paying attention. The first one was a woman backing out of her driveway (at a pretty good clip by the way), and I had to blow my horn the get her attention. Her reaction was to slam on her brakes hard enough to put skid marks in her driveway. Explain that one to your husband, lady.

The next one was a guy picking up another guy in front of his house. Ok, but when the guy got into the car, I could see them talking. As I passed him on the left, the guy pulls out right in front of me. I blew my horn, the guy slammed on his brakes, and then had the balls to give me the finger as I went around him. I stopped, got out of my car, and the big girl floored it and ran. I just want to know where these people come from. Is this what our educational system is producing these days; morons with attitudes?

I know that parents are no help. As a matter of fact, they are a major part of the problem. Today's parents seem to have lost the common sense that God gave geese, and appear to be unable to cope with normal things they should be teaching their children as they grow up; I mean, besides feeding themselves and using a toilet. Things like common courtesy, responsibility for their actions, and the ability to recognize right from wrong. If you think I'm in error here, just sit and watch people sometime. You will laugh, you will become angry, you will actually feel sorry for some people, and sometimes you want to smack the crap out of their parents.

Driver's Ed hell! You can't tell me those DE teachers aren't crapping themselves when some of these fools get behind the wheel. You couldn't pay me enough to do that job. After they get a license, they throw the rule book out the window, and then argue with the cops when they get caught doing some dumbass maneuver. I personally know 16 year old kids who lost their license after three weeks of driving because they did something really stupid. One little girl I know went to court with her friend, and when it was all done, she was sitting in a jail cell for arguing with a judge and calling the prosecutor an asshole in open court. Neither the girl or her friend thought they did anything wrong. Folks, judges don't just throw 16 year old girls in jail unless they deserve it, and she did.

This girl, nor her friend for that matter, had any idea the trouble they created for themselves. There is an order that needs to be followed. Otherwise, we have a society based on kaos. The girl's father, believing his little angle could do no wrong, tried to sue the court and the arresting officer for false arrest and cruel and unusual punishement. Fortunatley, no lawyer would touch that case. I think some people watch too much television. That stuff is for entertainment purposes only and none of it is real. Those judge shows on daytime TV....they get paid for it people! What's real is real, and that ain't real! Yeah, some of it you see on the news is real, but you have to know the difference. Hmmmm...here we are back at common sense again. If you don't have it, you need to get it. You can only achieve that by paying attention.

That's my rant for the day. Later.