A Newton Alternative

 A NEWTON ALTERNATIVE

Having watched the interaction between the Newton Police Department and citizens of the community on numerous videos over the years, a solution presents itself.  And although I am advocating, once again, against my own interest as a criminal defense attorney, the following seems to me to be a decent thing to do.

Rather than subjecting a person to public display along side the road requiring you to perform gymnastics, shining a light in your eyes to see if they work properly, requiring you to blow into a little tube to see if they have been imbibing alcohol, and then putting you in handcuffs behind your back (as if you were a terrorist or for 'officer safety'), impounding your vehicle, transporting you to jail, and if the test comes back negative for alcohol to make you pee in a cup to see if you have any illegal substances in your blood, and finally requiring you to call a bondsman to get out of jail at significant expense to let your dog out or take your elderly parent to the doctor or any number of other reasons you need to be home in the morning, there is an alternative to this punishment by cop.

And before I get into that alternative, it must be pointed out that in our system, punishment really is meted out by the police.  The above experience is indeed punishment.  There is no waiting around for the judge to mete out punishment; it is done immediately by our local law enforcement if they have any suspicion that you are behaving inappropriately.  What I have described above happens almost nightly here in Newton.  And yes, the officers are very polite while they treat you like an object which makes it no less humiliating, disruptive, and expensive.  And you must realize also, they are not required to arrest you; they can cite you to appear in court.  They arrest you instead of citing you because it is their "policy"; they have decided to punish you, they are not waiting to take the chance that a court may let you off.  They treat you poorly by choice.

My proposal is this:  if an officer observes you driving while impaired, the official version of criminal activity, offer a breath test or even better, simply have a conversation, and if suspicion results of impairment offer a ride home.  Every purpose of the OWI statutes would be accomplished.  You would no longer be a threat to other motorists or the homeless; you would escape any possibility of injury to yourself or damage to your vehicle and all would be well.  The only person possibly harmed by this would be the local bondsman who derives his or her living on the harm done to others by our local constabulary.

The most important difference in these two options is striking.  In the first, you are treated really poorly with significant interruption and expense in your life; and in the second option, you are treated with respect as a fellow citizen in the community where you live.  The first option simply put is: if you don't do what you are told by the government, you will suffer - - you will be punished, you are a bad person, you have disobeyed,  and therefore you will be treated badly.

We don't realize just how much control we have allowed our government to have over us.  And, it increases every year with new laws and requirements and regulations and whatnot.  I think it is time for a reset.

Richard E H Phelps II

MIngo 

Freespeech

 FREE SPEECH

Don't you love it though?  Our governor and Representative Dunwell have accepted the Wiccan celebration in the capitol as a symbol of free speech and their own acknowledgement that we as a people have the right to speak freely even if we don't agree with them. 

Very touching, I must say, from a group of people who have spent the last several legislative sessions banning books, limiting alternate lifestyles,  and otherwise ensuring that their particular view of life and learning is the only one available.  You just have to give them credit in knowing how to manipulate their supporters and to maintain this novel idea that they are here to protect our freedoms when they spend most of their efforts curtailing them.

Our State government the past few sessions have increased the number of crimes one can commit in the Great State of Iowa including those consisting of protesting, a manner of speech afterall; they have passed laws that require schools to discard books that they do not believe reflect the values that they themselves hold; they have made it significantly more difficult to vote; but yet, they are in favor of free speech pursuant to the First Amendment.  They believe that prayer is the answer to this violation of common decency, not legislation.

What they do understand is that they can't stop someone from saying something they don't agree with - - not yet anyway.  So let's not give them a lot of credit over their public announcements of their belief in the freedom of speech.  They don't. They are simply using this situation to enhance their public persona and once again to provide their supporters with some additional outrage against whomever they deem a threat to their future re-election. 

It's all really very simple.  Our current crop of legislators and governor understand perfectly well the level of comprehension of the general public in this State.  It is minimal and for their purposes, shall remain so.  The last thing that any of our legislators or governor desire to see happen is a public arising from the mist of some long ago era to comprehend and possibly deal with the world they actually inhabit.  

The world is changing as are the people in it.  This has always been the case and it will always be the case.  Change is not something that our legislators and governor can simply legislate into non-existence.  What really would be nice, and comforting, is that our elected officials actually recognize that the world is not the same as it was in their childhood imagination and begin to find methods by which we can meet these changes and still have a viable society.  

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Cat's Meow

 

CAT'S MEOW

We have a serious situation on hand folks and it must be brought 

to the public's attention as quickly as possible.  Laws must be passed, speeches must be made, legislative committees must be formed.  It simply can't wait any longer for major pushback.  What I'm talking about are the "FURRIES".  

It's not enough that we have minorities and transgender and gay people in our public schools (private schools can keep them out and do) but now we have "FURRIES".   For the uninitiated, these are people who dress in cat costumes and act and behave as if they are cats.  This is where the litterbox phobia came from a couple of years ago.  There was a report that a school had actually put a litter box in a bathroom.

Now if a person wants to look and act like a cat, why should I care?  Should I put a litterbox in the bathroom of my office?  These are questions that I must consider before I make up my mind on the matter.  Understanding that we as Americans, having always and continuing to, mind everyone's business but our own, must decide whether we need to make an effort to stop this nonsense before it gets out of hand.

One must not confuse furriedom or a fursona for petplay. Although one is certainly not limited as a furrie; a furrie certainly can engage in petplay if their fursona is involved or not.  Although they are not inconsistent, they are not the same.  We must be aware of these distinctions when passing legislation.

There has been general moaning about the loss of community in America.  I say on the contrary, there is more community now than previously; and what is even better, it's not coerced.  Simply hop on line and find a bunch of other like minded folk.  A community forms instantly - - messaging, photos, on-line meetings, off-line meetings, greetings and salutations.  Simply because there are no other furries in your neighborhood (that you know) you now have an online community of furries. You are no longer alone in your fursona.

A community has formed.  Isn't this what Hillary's IT TAKES A VILLAGE had in mind.  I surely would think so.  Now I can see that our legislative bodies, filled with the thoughtless and uneducated, may find something sinister in furriedom or fursona.  Once again they will be terrorized by the unknown and decide anything different or unknown can't and shouldn't be legal and therefore walking around in a cat suit or using a sandbox should be criminal with stiff jail sentences.

Now I'm certainly not promoting furriedom or fusona;  I consider this piece merely a conscious raising effort, educating the public to just one more perturbation in the force of normality.  After all, you could have had lunch today with someone who in private uses a sandbox.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

A Fluid Concept

 A FLUID CONCEPT

After reading up on the matter I think if I had to do it all over again, gender fluidity might be the way to go.  I think it would be preferable to oriengender or weekfluid where your gender changes on a set schedule.  The whole idea would be opportunity and if on a set schedule, one would have some limitations - - not many, but now and then for sure.  Of course, I'm jesting don't you know.

So let's simply go with genderfluidity:  it's an easy term to understand and covers a whole lot of territory.  Now let's be clear.  I'm not talking about identity fluidity here.  Identity fluidity can cover a whole lot more - - also called gender identity.  Currently there are in excess of 70 gender identities identified.  Examples include astral gender, cassgender, demiflux, genderpuck, and omnigender.  All good examples of various genders.

I'm thinking that our legislature needs to study up on these two terms:  gender fluidity and gender identity.  They are invading our schools and classrooms; our children are becoming omnigender more or less in total.  We won't be able to keep track of them and the senior proms will become really interesting - - so interesting in fact that the parental chaperones will know not what to do or not do.  They certainly won't be able to tell who is kissing who and who is copping a feel from whom.  

So I think our legislature should be putting this on their agenda for next session.  They have worked diligently to  outlaw transgender, gay, and the sexual activity amongst the underclassmen.  Now it is  time to do a little research and nip all this gender fluidity and gender identity in the bud before it reaches proportions that it can't easily be quashed.  We certainly want to make sure none of this stuff gets into our school libraries where some young dissatisfied soul is looking for  a little  gender experimentation.

After all, according to our legislature, and properly so, sex only appears after graduation - - miraculously - - poof and there it is with the concurrent question of "What do we do with this?"  Our elected officials have forgotten, if they ever knew, that our children have smart phones.  And guess what?  They also have on these smart phones ChatGPT and Bard and Google and Siri and Bing and Pi and Replika and AI Dungeon and probably a hundred more.  Who knew, right?

So, let's do a little research so we are prepared for the next thing that we have to forbid legislatively.  It's simply necessary if we want to continue to live in a world we recognize.

Richard E H Phelps

                                         Mingo

An Entitled Opinion

 AN ENTITLED OPINION

The accepted opinion is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  I don't know where this idea ever came from, but it simply is not true.  Many people are not entitled to an opinion, in fact, probably most.  Why should you be entitled to an opinion if you know nothing about the subject for which you have an opinion?  Why would you think that simply because you can speak and move around, that you are entitled to an opinion on a subject of which you know nothing?

The answer, of course, is that you don't.  And you shouldn't.  The Declaration of Independence mentions life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  It didn't say a thing about opinions - - totally silent.  This would lead one to believe that opinions were omitted as simply not relevant.  And again, the Constitution to the United States, including the Amendments, are silent when it comes to opinion.  Nowhere does it say that due process or equal protection applies to the opinions of anyone who thinks they ought to have some.

It is clear, simply from absence, that an opinion is not something that was given much thought back when - - and for good reason.  Nothing has changed since 1789 or whenever, that makes it any more likely that a citizen of this country is able to form a knowledgeable opinion now.

The sources of knowledge that are available to be able to form an opinion are numerous and continuance.  One only needs to pay some heed to them which, I know, does require a certain amount of time and attention.  Time and attention are the two factors that are critical in the development of opinion:  It takes time and effort to absorb the knowledge required for an opinion which appear to be the two factors that seem to be absent from the lives of our countrymen.

We have decided, as a people, as Americans, that time and attention are two things we don't have enough of in our busy lives of working, TV, and sporting events.  Just too busy and besides it can be depressing if successfully engaging in opinion forming.  One would actually have to read items in a newspaper, magazine, or book in order to be able to form an opinion on anything beyond our immediate ken and additionally, it might be depressing.  There simply isn't enough time in the day to learn enough to be able to form an opinion and besides, who wants to be depressed.

So, the solution has been and continues to be that we adopt ready made opinions.  It has been observed that currently there usually are two contrary opinions on any given subject - - they would be the opinion expressed on Fox and the opinion expressed on MSNBC.  These are ready made opinions and ones that are simply adopted by the viewers.  Very neat and tidy.  No messing around with newspapers or magazines or books - - not necessary.  These opinions are the opinions that you believe you have the right to possess and they really aren't even yours though you claim them.  So when someone says that you don't have a right to an opinion, give it some thought, and come to the proper conclusion:  you really don't even have any.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Let's Talk Lot

 LET'S TALK LOT

Recently rereading the Biblical story of Lot, it once again occurred to me what an interesting family we had there.  Considering he was the nephew of  Abraham, he did have a pretty good lineage.  According to the Biblical account,  a couple of angels visited Lot to give him some bad tidings - - his hometown was to be obliterated.  

Now if this wasn't enough for Lot, the locals apparently became interested in copulating with the two visiting  angels,  Now whether this was to accomplish intercourse with the deity or the need for a new and different sexual experience is uncertain.  The Biblical story is a little short on details here.

Apparently the authorities were not in the neighborhood as the mob was pounding on the door. Lot, wanting to protect the messagers from heaven, offered his two daughters to the mob as appeasement.  Now this really doesn't say much for Lot that he was going to throw his two daughters out the door to be gang raped.  The passage is silent on what his wife may have thought of the idea, but apparently whatever she did think, was irrelevant.

Well, apparently both the angels and the daughters escaped being gang raped by the mob of Sodomites.  The angels blinded the mob of wishful sodomites so they were unable to fulfill their quest;  but that is not the end of the story.  The family was instructed not to look back at Sodom as they were fleeing.  Apparently, they were not to witness the mass slaughter of their neighbors and other citizens of the city.  Unfortunately, Missus Lot couldn't help herself and looked back and for that lack of obedience was turned into a pillar of salt.  Not just bad luck - - do what you're told is the lesson here.

Now why the deity wanted no witnesses is unclear.  I've always been a little suspect when someone does things without explanation or witnesses. Of course, in this instance, there was an explanation - - wickedness.  I'm not quite sure what this wickedness was other than a desire to copulate with angels, but apparently throwing your two daughters to the mob was not considered something wicked.  It was suggested by the visitors that Lot should flee post haste and save himself from obliteration even after offering his daughters to multiple sexual encounters with strangers and such.  So much for gang rape.

The story doesn't end here though.  After leaving Sodom for the mountains, which after all may have been a dreary and lonesome place, the two daughters decided that if they were ever going to give birth (to carry on the family line), they were going to have to do it with dad.  So they got him drunk two nights in a row and as they say, "lay with dad".  And a happy ending resulted since they were apparently both ovulating at the same time.

As I said at the top, a rather interesting family.  Of course, here in the States, they all would be in jail and considered criminals and on the sex offender registry. Clearly the local deity was not adverse to mass murder and leveling whole cities plus a little gang rape  and intra-family breeding  was no big deal either.   So there you have it, the story of Lot.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

More on Education

 MORE ON EDUCATION

I continue to monitor the tweets (now X's), the letters, and public pronouncements of our elected officials:  an activity in which we should all participate.  What is clear, and simply can not be disputed, is that our educational system in this State has succeeded beyond our elected representatives' wildest dreams.  We have a public that doesn't know anything.

Now, I have not taken a poll or sent out a questionnaire so I am always willing to analyze my own statements for accuracy, but it seems to me, as George Carlin would say, that the American public really doesn't know anything and doesn't care to know anything.  This, of course, resides in the premise that our governor, representatives, and senators are correct.  They publish statements that simply have no meaning with the intent of creating hostility toward one group and love toward another with the presumption that this will maintain their grip on power, i. e., be re-elected.

You may ask, what does this have to do with our schools?  Well - - everything!  We apparently have a public that will read some nonsense espoused by one of our elected officials and react to it in the manner that is intended by the person or group producing it without the slightest thought given.  For instance, our Senator Joni Ernst, might as well publicly announce that Biden is responsible for the cost of the dozen eggs you just purchased at Fareway or Hy-Vee or Walmart.  She as much as says this continually and with great fervor.  One can only conclude that she and her staff truly believe that the people reading these pronouncements believe them and therefore will not vote for Joe Biden next time around and instead, will vote for whomever is listed as a candidate on the same ticket as them, because, after all, Joe is responsible for the price of eggs that I eat for my breakfast.  This is such incredible nonsense that it is difficult to understand how people can subscribe to it.  But they do!

The underlying premise, of course, is that the people these statements are intended for  can barely read, will believe anything they are told if by the correct person, or are simply befuddled with doubt.  This premise is based on the additional assumption that the people, the public, for which these statements are intended are totally uneducated.  Which, in turn, means that our schools have successfully produced a public without any sense of reality nor the ability to give thought to anything other than where their next dollar is coming from and will their favorite sports team win their next game.

It is all very depressing; that we as a people can make decisions that affect us all without the least thought,  And, frankly, I see no solution.  If our schools succeed in continuing to produce what they are currently producing, I don't see much of a future for the people who come after us.  The world is changing, as always, and we are not prepared.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

The New Session

 THE NEW SESSION

A new legislative session is just around the corner.  It just makes you giddy with the delight of anticipation of what our legislators can come up with this year to make our lives even more pure and blameless than they already are.  I'm sure they have been studying various ways since they last were in session.  After all, they have months and months to form study groups and rein in dissent.  I would wager that the governor's office and the legislative powers that be are prepared and ready to march.

Now, I'm not a masochist.  I do not invite discomfort or misery, but since it seems to be inevitable and in our best interest, one has to accept it with unanimity; it's just part of the package.  Who am I to attempt the impossible of holding back the tide of authoritarianism emanating from our capitol.  Everything is for our own good..  Our legislators, specifically those of evangelical bent, are of the belief that their views and behavior should be enforced upon the rest of us.  And, of course, this is the way it should be.  It's a democracy after all.

This has always been the case when a certain group gets to make all the rules; it really doesn't matter which group is in charge at any given time.  What is good for them, is good for everyone.  Over the last couple of legislative sessions, here in Iowa, certain biases have been clearly shown.  These include black people protesting, transgender children wanting to play sports and going to a different bathroom, women who think they should be in charge of their own bodies, librarians who provide literature to young minds, those who actually use marijauna and find it enjoyable, and so forth. 

It's all for our own good, you know. And since their intent is pure, i. e., for our benefit, we must accept whatever they do.  After all, to protest would be anti-democratic and against the general will as some ancient philosophers supposed.  And also after all, they know better than we what is good for us.  Simply being recalcitrant is not a defense to the good and the true.  And clearly, since we elected them, they do know what is good and whatever they do is in our  interest even at first glance it is not so wonderful and even objectionable.  So there you have it.  Grin and bear it even if you have some doubts, for our legislators and our governor know what is best for you and me.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Driving About

 DRIVING ABOUT

This morning on my morning drive to one of the various court houses I visit, I was looking at my steering wheel.  One glances at, sees, and usually has one's hands on it continually while driving.  Having your hand or hands, as the case may be, on the steering wheel is a proper activity associated with operating a motor vehicle.  

It occurred to me, however, that I really didn't know much about my steering wheel.  I counted ten buttons on my steering wheel, all of which had minute drawings on them, apparently denoting their function.  What occurred to me further was the fact that I had no idea the purpose of any of the ten buttons.  No clue.  It further occurred to me that while driving was not the time to experiment with the buttons right in front of me on the steering wheel.  

Since the only time I am in my vehicle, I am driving it, there has never been a good time in which to study these buttons or, in the alternative, or to read the manual.  Further, I foresee nothing in the future that will change.  I don't believe that it would be appropriate for me  to begin pushing buttons on the steering wheel if I am not the driver.  It would probably annoy the person actually doing the driving and might even cause an accident.

This brings us to the subject of the manual.  The manual, several manuals to be exact, are located in the glove box.  They are very thick - - I have removed the manuals from the glove box and felt their thickness.  There must be a whole lot of material in those manuals.  I, however, have not read any of them and have no intention of doing so.  If someone else wants to read the manuals in the glove box of my car, they are welcome to do so.

I have been able to get to my destination every time I have driven my car - - I have not been required to push any of the  buttons on my steering wheel to do so nor have I been required to read the manual.  I will admit however that there are several buttons on the dash that I do push quite regularly such as the  up and down buttons controlling the temperature.  And I will admit I do know which button is the air conditioning and do push it on and off as the need requires.

I have been instructed on several occasions to read the manuals.  In addition to instructions to do so, I have had numerous people suggest that I do so so that I know the function of these buttons - - that knowing the function of these buttons is a good thing.  Let's just be clear about this: I have no inclination to punch any of these ten buttons.  I don't care what these buttons are for and I don't want to know what they are for as long as my car gets me to where I want to go:  It just isn't necessary.  After all, isn't this what cars are for - - to get you where you want to go?

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

They're Mushrooms

 THEY'RE MUSHROOMS

On a drive-about that included Altoona, Bondurant, and Ankeny I saw dozens if not a hundred new,  massive structures, empty - - waiting for stuff to arrive by trucks to then leave again by trucks, possibly to another of the massive buildings a few miles away.  It is like a form of fungal reproduction.

Now I know that mushrooms reproduce through spores that apparently are airborne as the mushroom breaks the service of the ground, but there must be some sort of pollination going on here that I am not aware of.  I can think of nothing more analogous to these giant structures than huge, cavernous fungi.  They seem to pop up overnight.  And then there is stuff moving from one part of the building to another, from one building to another, having at one time moved from the point of manufacture and will end finally at the place where it will be consumed.

We now call this process the supply chain.  This is a new term that  entered our vocabulary when we experienced deprivation with COVID.  Suddenly, there were items not found.  This was viewed with horror.  For instance, toilet paper became a very valuable item.  The stores couldn't keep what little they had in stock for the pursuit of toilet paper by the public was ravenous.  What would we do without toilet paper?

Of the 350,000,000 people that live in this county, if the "supply chain" suddenly disappeared, 349,000,000 would have no food.  That is a thought that should get one's attention.  The fact that someone is gay or transgender or some other variety of human, would seem to be irrelevant.  No one would have anything to eat.  I suppose that is when the guns come out.  Of course, if everyone has a gun, that's when the real shooting begins.

If you and your children are starving, you do what you have to do to eat.  Simple really.  I often wonder about the things that we complain about, or argue about, or get upset with.  So our legislature doesn't like that our teachers actually acknowledge there are gay and transgender people in their schools.  The horror!  Is this what they are elected to think about?  What possible benefit does it do to anyone to pick on people other than to show you are a bully.

Unfortunately, it would appear that our legislators and our governor are bullies.  They showed it during the protest of Black Lives Matter, they are showing it in their actions against teachers and librarians, they are preparing laws to enact that are nothing but  to bully people they don't like for whatever reason they don't like them. 

We have a government of bullies, smug ones, believing that that is why they were elected - - to bully people.  I can only hope that the people who voted for them are not themselves bullies.  I find most people, when approached, are friendly and not bullies, and in fact, don't much care for one person bullying another. But they have elected a legislature full of bullies.  Seems incongruous.  I wish it weren't so.  Maybe you could suggest to your legislator that he or she begin thinking about the things that matter - - not who can go to which bathroom.

If you wonder how I made the transition from cavernous warehouses to bullies so quickly; it's called a mind that wanders uncontrollably.

Richard E H Phelps

Mingo

Another War

 ANOTHER WAR

We need to encourage our legislators to create another war on something.  The war on drugs is totally passé and as we can all see, a total failure.  The only accomplishment being making life really miserable for those whose lives are already miserable.  The latest war has been the war on sex.  This war has, or will soon, reach its crescendo. It is accomplishing its goal of making a whole other category of people miserable by subjecting them to prison, social workers, sex offender registry, and therapists of various shades of credibility .

So, what we need is a new war.  Our Iowa legislature has as its goal to oversee a population of totally miserable and despondent people, except of course, those who contribute campaign funds.  They are exempt from misery having the resources to buy their way into Nirvana.  So, let's get with it!

Our legislators need to be looking for something they can use to make life more miserable for a whole new group of people.  Driving has always been part of the effort.  We spend a huge amount of time and money putting people in jail and extorting money from them for driving without a license.  These people, who don't have driver's licenses don't have driver's licenses for a reason:  They don't have any money.  And our legislature makes absolutely certain that these people without any money will be even more miserable than they already are.  Not only do you go to jail, but you also have to pay the State of Iowa various taxes.  These taxes are called fines, court costs, reinstatement fees, license fees, and I'm sure I'm missing some; and they are payable by people who don't have any money in the first place.

I'm open for suggestions.  Surely we have not utilized all the ways available to make people miserable.  There has to be more ways to do it.  Book banning doesn't do it because most people don't read books anyway.  Restricting who can play highschool sports doesn't do it except for the feeling of being picked on which may or may not increase misery.  We could always reduce unemployment benefits again or further restrict health care but these are the tried and true methods that have been used traditionally.  We need something new and exciting and horrible to think about.  

How about home canning? You might poison yourself.  And not only can home canning be dangerous, it is anti-capitalist.  One is not buying stuff they don't need if one is canning food at home.  It is un-American and needs to be completely banned.   A person who preserves food, and it could be just about anything, is not, and I repeat not, helping the GDP.  Home canning is not part of the statistical input of gross domestic product and should be discouraged and possibly made illegal with the rationale that it could be dangerous if done improperly (just like driving).  Just an idea folks, but we do need something new to have a war on.  If you have any good suggestions, contact your local representative.

Richard E H Phelps II

MIngo

Never Ending Adolescence

 NEVER ENDING ADOLESCENCE

It is moving to see an entire state of adult males reenacting adolescence; thinking to themselves that they are the good in The Good, Bad, and the Ugly: Clint Eastwood wannabes passing legislation.  Now that's what I voted for!

It's the wild west all over again:  fighting Indians and cattle rustlers and other ne'er-do-wells out here in the fields of corn and soybeans.  Vigilantes patrolling in their Jeeps with their AR-15s looking for something to shoot.  You simply can't have an AR-15 if you can't shoot it.  The same goes with any other firearm.  After all they cost money and the bullets are expensive as well.  If you have a gun, you need to shoot it once in a while to see if you can actually hit what you aim at.

This last issue is the most concerning.  It would appear, from what I see and read, that the vast majority of post-adolescents with guns can't hit the first thing they shoot at; nor the last for that matter.   Have you ever sat down in a restaurant for a nice relaxing meal and the table next to you looks like a posse comitatus convention.  Somewhat disconcerting.  Not only are you not convinced they can hit what they aim at, but you're uncertain what would cause them to start shooting in the first place.

This fascination with firearms really is an indication of the level of maturity of the adult male population in this state - - 13.  You can't say differently; there is no evidence to back up a different conclusion than age thirteen.  The world is apparently full of evil doers as one president mentioned and apparently Iowa has its share.  And since the only movies and books we see or read are about superheroes saving whole cities from mayhem, it's no wonder.  

Our adult male population, sadly of which I am one, has failed to advance from adolescence and is just stuck in some mirage of old westerns and cops and robbers movies which have no relation to current reality.  Bonnie and Clyde are dead; so is Geronimo.  Put the guns away!

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

Self-Driving

 SELF-DRIVING

A rather stupid description of a motor vehicle that drives on its own, without human input, properly programmed to get its passengers safely to their destination.  Does a vehicle have a self?  But this is a question for another day.   My question now is:  If I'm in the driver's seat finishing my third scotch, am I guilty of driving while intoxicated.  Yes, I can re-establish control of my machine, but I haven't.  I didn't run that last red light either, my machine did that on its own.  Am I guilty of a traffic violation?

I say no.  How can I be guilty of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence if I'm not operating a motor vehicle?  How can I be guilty of running a stop sign, if I'm not operating the vehicle?  Again I say no.  Not guilty.

Is anyone guilty of driving while drunk if the car is operating without guidance from any human?  Is anyone guilty of running a stop sign if no one is operating the vehicle?  Are you going to convict the vehicle of running the stop sign?  And if so, what is the punishment?  Interesting questions.  I'm sure our current legislatures will come up with something that makes no sense and, in addition, causes people grief unnecessarily.  Maybe they can take away its driving privilege for a specific period of time like they do with people.

What they will come up with is that you are required to be sober in a moving, self-driving vehicle in the event of an emergency.  Suddenly my vehicle doesn't see that three-year old standing in the street with a sucker.  Am I, the inebriated passenger of that vehicle, required to be paying attention?  Why do I need to pay attention if the car is driving itself,  it has the destination programmed in, and it will get me there without any involvement from me whatsoever?  The answer is clearly - - I don't.  So the car runs over the three-year old - - how is that my fault?  It's not.

So punish the car, not me.  After all, our legislative bodies find punishment necessary and beneficial.  They believe in punishment so now they can punish self-driving vehicles.  After all, you really can't say they are inanimate since they drive themselves.  Really, many times there is no reason for anyone to even be in the vehicle - - maybe it's running an errand.  Do I need to be in the car when it goes through the pick-up line at the grocery store or through the drive up liquor store to replenish my supply?  No, of course not.  So take the car's driver's license, not mine.  That will make our legislators feel better thinking they actually have accomplished something.

So the solution seems to be to require self-driving machines to have their own driver's licenses.  It will re-establish the idea that driving is a privilege and not a right and make it applicable to machines as well as humans.  Seems fair enough.  My self-driving machine should not have the right to drive when I only have the privilege.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo