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mplo's Replies
Thanks for the interesting information, Drmccormack. The United States, as a whole, doesn't treat its livestock very humanely, but Temple Grandin has designed equipment that makes it possible for livestock to be subject to more humane conditions.
Treating dogs and other pets cruelly by not letting them indoors, especially in the cold weather, is extremely cruel.
I think Doug finally made his point when he said that to "Jem". It's not surprising that these two guys who'd grown up together and were like brothers ultimately got into a nasty fight, with Doug finally repudiating Jem.
This particular scene goes to show that people who reside in such tight-knit, insular communities can and will turn on each other, just as often as not.
Parking on public streets, and then saving "one's" parking space for the whole winter, imho, is really not a right. I can understand them reserving their shoveled-out parking space for the first 48 hours after a heavy snowstorm, but after that, it's going too far.
Well, Texting/talking on one's cellphone should've been and should be made illegal. If it's illegal to have too much alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car or any other motor vehicle, then talking/texting on one's cellphone while driving should also be illegal.
I haven't hitchhiked at all since the mid-1970's, nor have I picked up any hitchhikers. The danger cuts both ways, and it makes no sense to put oneself at the mercy of a total stranger that one has never seen, much less talked to before.
I'd never pick up a hitchhiker, much less be a hitchhiker today, because I've read a number of horrible stories about people who've been robbed, assaulted, or worse, in both instances. It's not worth risking one's freedom, life and overall safety just to take the chances involved in being with a total stranger in an enclosed vehicle.
More recently, when I'd taken my mom to a doctor's appointment, I decided to go for a walk while I was waiting for her, since it was such a nice, warm day. Since the sidewalk, and the place where my mom's appointment was is located along a state highway (Route 9, to be exact), a man pulled up and asked me if I wanted a ride. I declined with a matter-of-fact "no thanks", and went on my way. I probably should've taken his license number. It was a small red car, and the guy was dressed casually but respectably, but I was taking no chances. When I told my mom about it later, she said that the guy was a creep, and that I should've taken his license number and called the police. Maybe somebody did later. Who knows? The next time some creep pulls over to the side of the road or highway and asks if I want a ride, I will take the guy's license number and call the cops.
Not that long ago, I read about this guy who was driving along some freeway at night, and noticed a woman standing on the side of the road, with her thumb out. The guy got up to help, and the woman said that the car had broken down. As the guy who'd stopped was attempting to help out, two rough-and-tough guys jumped him from behind some trees/bushes at the side of the road, beat the hell out of him, shot, stabbed him and left him for dead by the roadside. Sometimes guys like those tough/rough guys will have a woman standing around as bait, which is obviously what happened in this instance. The guy who was beaten, stabbed and shot survived, but he was never quite the same since. Sad, indeed.
I used to see a lot of hitchhikers here in the general Boston, MA area in the 1960's and 1970's, but not in the 1980's.
I think that more people began to wise up to the fact that hitchhiking is so risky.
Hitchhiking doesn't necessarily and always get one to where s/he is destined either safely or quickly. Sometimes, hitchhikers end up waiting for hours before they get a ride. Public transportation, if one has access to it is a hell of a lot safer than hitchhiking.
In some parts of the United States, there are signs on certain parts of freeways that say
"Prison Area: Do Not Pick up Hitchhikers."
Frankly, I think those signs are up there for a reason: The hitchhikers that one encounters at a prison area could well be convicts looking for a way out, and to escape.
Thanks, MovieManCin2.
Getting into an enclosed vehicle with somebody that one doesn't know from a hole in the ground is too risky, because the hitchhiker is at the mercy of this total stranger that s/he knows absolutely nothing about. Moreover, the hitchhiker has little or no control over what may happen if things go south, if one gets the drift.
That's very true, Stratego. Moreover, many, if not most of the horrific real-life incidents that occur when people hitchhike fail to make the papers, or the evening news.
Thanks, Daisy.
Thanks, Daisy. You're not being judgmental at all. Mental illness and/or alcoholism could also be a factor of why a woman in her 50's is out their hitchhiking.
Most hitchhikers are young, down and out on their luck/money, and therefore in a vulnerable position for being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people, of which there a quite afew of out and around in their cars. Being caught in extremely cold or extremely hot weather for hours at a time, with no food or water, is a danger posed by hitchhiking, as well.
Also, looks and demeanors on people can be quite deceiving. Many people with bad intentions have the ability to put on a human, decent face and demeanor in order to lure their victim(s) to harm. Also, a driver could refuse to drop a hitchhiker off at his/her destination, plus there could an accident, which could permanently cripple or kill the hitchhiker, as well.
That doesn't make it safe, or good.
Hitchhiking is stupid, any which way one looks at it.
Either that, or she's probably living out, or re-living her youth, if one gets the drift.
Good point, kspkap. Even though most people are perfectly normal and honest, there are people out and around in their cars who are not. Those are the ones who present the problem despite not being the majority, because there's no telling if or when a hitchhiker will be picked up by somebody with bad intentions, is drunk or drugged out, is criminally disposed, is just plain not in his/her right mind, or is just plain careless behind the wheel.
I agree that the idea of a photo of the license plate to friends or family, or even a text, wouldn't help, either.
Do you know about British Columbia's Highway of Tears, where tons of girls and women, namely Native American and Aborigine women, have gone missing while hitchhiking on that highway? Bodies of women and girls who've been killed while hitchhiking have turned up, after hard info searching. If I understand correctly, however, the Canadian govt. didn't do or say much of anything about it until Canadian-European (white) girls and women began to go missing while hitchhiking on the Highway of Tears. Many, if not most of the girls and women who live in that particular area have no cars, and there's little, if any public transportation along the Highway of Tears, so girls and women are forced to put their lives and overall freedom and safety at risk by hitchhiking, which isn't a good thing.
Your sarcasm and nastiness is rather disgusting! Get lost, db20db!