Gripe session

Among the inalienable rights not listed in our country’s Declaration of Independence is the right to complain. Perhaps this is a good thing. Most of us do so much complaining anyway, if we thought we had some kind of inherited right to do so we might never hear the end of it. Then where would we be?
I make this statement, gentle readers, by way of introduction. This week, I have a couple of things I need to get off my chest.
Those of you who are of a sympathetic disposition, or who are in need of something new to complain about yourselves, might want to continue reading. Everybody else probably would be better off spending the time in some more constructive activity. Trimming your toe nails would be a good example.
Item No. 1 - Kids on bicycles.
Most likely, just about every adult, who has made the questionable decision to keep on reading this gibberish, already knows that, as far as state and local laws are concerned, a bicycle is a vehicle, just like a car or truck. The operator of any vehicle, regardless of age, is bound to obey all traffic laws and regulations, including stop signs.
I checked my facts on this with local law enforcement officials. If a kid on a bike runs a stop sign, they are just as liable as an adult who does the same thing in a car.
I seriously doubt that I am the only operator of a motor vehicle who has had to slam on his brakes to keep from knocking down some kid on a bike because said kid has ignored a stop sign. Nine times out of ten, the kid either never notices that he has almost caused somebody to have a heart attack, or else just laughs and goes on about his business.
Of course there are those instances when nobody laughs, when the driver of the motor vehicle can’t stop in time, when families are bereaved and people’s lives changed forever by a stupid and thoroughly avoidable mistake.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I’d like to see some serious attention paid to enforcing traffic laws where bicycle riders are concerned. In those cases when the rider is a minor, I’d like the kid’s parents to be reminded, financially if necessary, of their responsibility for their child’s actions. Better to get your feathers ruffled and pay a little fine than to have to attend your own child’s funeral.
And how about some safety education with an eye toward legal responsibility? All the anti-drug and anti-violence messages are fine, but let’s face it. They really only apply to a minority of young children. Everybody rides a bike.
Item No. 2 - Timothy McVeigh
I know, this warped murderer is history. But this column is intended to be neither an endorsement of nor an argument against the death penalty.
McVeigh refused to give a final statement before he was injected with a lethal dose of chemicals. Instead, he issued a typed copy of the poem Invictus by William Earnest Henley.
This set my teeth on edge. Invictus is one of my all time favorite poems. It is a stirring affirmation of the indomitability of the human spirit, even when beset by overwhelming sorrows and burdens.
The poem was never intended to be a justification for an act of heartless terrorism. By placing it in that context, McVeigh soiled a beautiful thing. It was a last despicable act by a despicable man.
Okay, lecture over. Thanks for letting me vent.