Samson's Wig

I remember some nasty fights in high school, and was involved in a couple myself, but I'm so far removed by years from that kind of violence that even the fight itself is unsettling. The thought of my kids being around that is unnerving. Add in guns and it gets difficult to send your kids to school in the morning. What a fucked up world.

You are of course correct. I was thinking about within North America, not globally. And they'll still hang on here as well, in a limited capacity.

Catholic Church will slowly die in large part due to this scandal, albeit with a handful of child molesting priests holding a giant bag of cash. The Baptist Church, particularly in Texas, has the same problem with molesting kids and shuffling the offenders around to other churches. They somehow manage to avoid getting lumped in with the Catholics, though. I don't understand why. Baylor admin probably knows.

This seems like some superhero level shit going on. Whoever made this happen deserves a medal.

Mostly typical teenage stupidity (not to excuse it). Stealing/damaging halloween decorations, smashing pumpkins, etc. The kind of thing that should probably get them kicked out of their extra curricular activities, grounded, and forced to do some yard work for those they harmed. But they apparently also rummaged through some vehicles and stole some things. So that's another matter.

So what's the over/under on days before a criminal takes a shotgun to the chest walking into someone's house? I know it's barely the case, but this is still Texas. People are getting antsy, especially the people already genetically predisposed to worry about threats to their home and family, and these are the same people who tend to own guns. Maybe this has already happened and I missed the story. If/when it does happen I hope it's at least a criminal with ill intent and not some stupid teenager being stupid. A handful of Anderson cheerleaders were running around vandalizing NW Hills last week. They deserve some serious punishment, but I wouldn't want to see them shot. Crime will continue to get worse in Austin. We're still growing unsustainably, the economy is still slamming the bottom third into the dirt, and no matter what you think should be done with the police department (defund/retrain/beef-up/whatever) we should all be able to agree that it is currently a dysfunctional mess. Hope they can sort it out sooner than later, although any solution will take years at a minimum.

I'm sure you've picked up on the fact that most people who can't stand cyclists are really talking about the types who don't need to get from point A to point B, but rather those who go out of their way to bike on roads that cause issues for drivers all in the name of recreation (especially in areas where tax payers have built out spaces for cyclists that cars aren't allowed on). Outside of those who plow through intersections or ride on the sidewalk, who gives a shit about bikes in the city? As noted by F250 and Judge Roy above, heading out to narrow country roads just to clog things up for the locals is the pinnacle of dickhead moves, and where most of the ire is generated. I don't know what percentage of cyclists this amounts to, but like the jerks in that video above they're the ones making people hate cyclists. Now, there at least as high, although perhaps higher, percentage of drivers who are just as big of an asshole as any cyclist could ever be. Case in point, the teenager at the heart of this thread. I don't know what to say about people like that other than they shouldn't have a driver license and should probably be castrated. Their jerk counterparts in the cycling community? Well, they've already taken care of the castration part, at least from a reproductive level, so I suspect they get a pass. I'm sticking with my theory that the percentage of asshole know-it-all cyclists and the percentage of asshole know-it-all drivers is eerily similar to the percentage of engineers in the general population. I'm not drawing any conclusions from that.

What will the City of Austin do if we lose her to the Senate? We're all doomed. Doomed I tell ya!

Lol. Well fueled. But yes, that is a prime example of complete dickhead behavior by cyclists. There were some decent guys in there as well. I'm curious, and don't jump to any conclusions, but how many cyclists also happen to be engineers?

Hold on as best you can. With age often comes a sharp decline in charm. There are clouds to yell at and what not.

I look forward to the SCOTUS decision that finally gives cyclists the protected class status they deserve. The application of strict scrutiny to some of these bullshit laws will finally even the playing field the way it should be. One bike lane for every auto lane!

Yikes, I have no idea. Your post reminded me of some of his marketing language when he had that huge build up to the announcement of the Segway. Dude knew how to build suspense.

I think you may have doxxed yourself, Dean Kamen.

Counterpoint: Most people on a jury have had to deal with being stuck behind an entitled asshole cyclist at some point in their lives. /you're right, and I'm kidding.

I'm with you there. As for the cyclist bitching, no one gives a shit about cyclists who are considerate and follow the law, just as no one gives a shit about auto drivers who are considerate and follow the law. No one notices either. It's the inconsiderate assholes that are the main part of the problem. The rest of the problem is that absolutely no one thinks they're the inconsiderate asshole, whether riding a bike or driving a car. I, for one, just assume absolutely everyone (except me of course), regardless of mode of transportation, is a self absorbed piece of shit who will always choose to do the absolute dumbest, rudest, and most dangerous thing that can be done while moving about in public. It's surprisingly calming to approach the situation with complete equity.

There's no reason to, but I'm hoping that the vaccine approval for 5-11 gets us close to over the hump. The vaccination rates for 12-18 is abysmal, so this is probably wishful thinking. My kids will be in line day one. We've got hockey games to attend, by god.

This is the world we live in. Everyone is just selfish and no motorist thinks the laws of the road apply to them when it inconveniences them. Who is the asshole here? The cyclist is obeying the law or the motorist that is irritated This attitude from cyclists is why everyone hates them. Cyclists following the rule of law along with observing basic human decency don't really piss people off, because they become nearly invisible when they do this. Cyclists breaking the law and/or choosing to ride on roads where no one can pass them all while sniffing their own farts makes them a ripe and fair target for complete derision. Pointing out that there are bad drivers doesn't mean shit. Everyone hates bad drivers too. Trying to claim that cyclists all follow the law while auto drivers are the enemy is patently ridiculous. Most cyclists ride like dickheads, just like most automobile drivers drive like dickheads. The only difference is one of these two will come out ahead when someone makes a mistake. Common sense dictates that cyclists should watch the fuck out, but plenty of them ride as if they own the road. It's psycho behavior.

Keep walking those dogs, brother. I look out for you.

Coal rolling, or whatever the fuck that is called, is a dick move even if no one gets hurt. That kid should have been rolled right up into jail since people were injured. // I've got zero beef with cyclists who utilize the millions of dollars worth of bike lanes we've built in Austin to accommodate people crazy enough to commute on a bike in Texas. It's the assholes who insist on riding on roads they shouldn't be on, even if they legally can, that piss me off. It seems like a daily occurrence that some jackwagon or two dressed in little girls' gymnastics outfits are slowly cruising down Old Spicewood Springs Road during rush hour, which has two lanes and no shoulder. Fuck every last asshole who does this. Just because you have a right to the road doesn't mean you should be on it. I don't care if you like the shade and the trees, it's not safe and you are fucking with everyone else's day when there are thousands of overpriced bike lanes all over this town for you and your twenty or thirty friends to enjoy. I guarantee every last one of these assholes would be screaming bloody murder if they were stuck driving behind a car moving 20 miles below the speed limit, but we're supposed to be nice to them because they have a spandex fetish and dysfunctional testicles. The reasoning of cyclists lines up perfectly with antivax idiots. Always screaming about their rights without ever considering whether the exercise thereof is causing others harm. I suspect we could find a similar form of brain damage in both groups if we fund a study. // Sorry, I blacked out for a second. Fuck that diesel driving asshole kid!

Cyclists can't ride their bikes all the time.

GenX:

Hi ass. It's where antimask folks find their nuggets of wisdom, or what they refer to as "science".

Probably. Or maybe lack of reporting. Maybe natural immunity is built up in your community. Maybe the tooth fairy is real. Who knows?