This is the thread where the fringster comes back with teeth

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

Taking this tangent and running with it...

Seriously, there was a woman who got up in the witness stand and said that she doesn't believe in cars. She thinks that everyone should ride bikes or take public transport. Whatever.

How can you live in LA and not believe in cars? Is it possible to get around LA without a car?

[ThurgreedMarshall]

TM

[notcasesensitive]

Originally Posted by greatwhitenorthchick

How can you live in LA and not believe in cars? Is it possible to get around LA without a car?

It is possible, but extremely unlikely. I actually only drive mine 2 days per week for the most part, but I'm an unusual case. As to whether she honestly believes what she said, well that's between her and some higher authority, but I tend to think that she was completely full of shit.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally Posted by greatwhitenorthchick

How can you live in LA and not believe in cars? Is it possible to get around LA without a car?

My boyfriend takes it as a point of pride that he lived for five years in LA without a car.

[notcasesensitive]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

My boyfriend takes it as a point of pride that he lived for five years in LA without a car.

I have a friend here who does not drive. She knows how to drive, but hates it so she sticks to her neighborhood or takes the bus a lot and asks people who live nearby for rides to things. Which is a little tedious, but okay. Also she has a husband who does drive (they have one car), so he gets her around when they go out together. He also works about 100 hours per week and she doesn't work, so a lot of the time she is fending for herself.

We rarely drive on weekends and spend most of our time in our very walkable/bikeable neighborhood. But that is just because we like it here and Mr. Man drives too much for his commute so that we can live here.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Based on the last sentence, I don't really know where you stand. Are you saying that since it was poor judgment, impaired decision making and ultimately just an accident that it's not as bad as torturing and killing dogs? Or are you saying juries wouldn't think that?

As for the stupid things people have done (and I don't think I've ever driven above the legal limit, but maybe that's just because I grew up in NYC), there are consequences. If you choose to get into your Bentley drunk and drive around, risking the lives of everyone you may encounter on your way home, you assume the risk of killing someone and you should be punished accordingly when you do. Actions have consequences. And if I chose to push a grand piano off the roof of an 80 story building after a few shots and a dare, that's surely a stupid, impulsive action, the result of impaired judgment. If the piano kills a family I should do hard fucking time.

So I guess I don't understand your post. If we do something awful and get away with it, it's not that bad because lots of people do it and get away with it? Should the law treat the guy who drives drunk and doesn't get into an accident the same as the guy who does and kills someone? Why should I look at it any differently than felony murder where the death is the result of some freak accident set in motion by the felony? Is it because of the alcohol? Or is it the fact that you have driven drunk and haven't commited a felony that you've gotten away with?

TM

I was trying to explain the disparity in outcomes, which is different from justifying it. All but a few DDAs can feel some empathy for a first-time DUI defendant because they can identify. It's a crime committed by ordinary or even basically good people (leaving out the hardcore recidivist convicts). And the system treats it as such. The act is the same whether you killed someone or not, and the effect of the act is something remedied in the civil courts.

Contrast that with Vick. No one involved in that case could identify with him. Whether that was unfair, or due to his own conduct, I don't know. But I seriously doubt anyone with charging authority looked at him or his life and thought "There but for the grace of God . . ."*

*Gratuitious religion reference.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

This just made me happy. And reiterated why I refuse to live anywhere that requires some busybody to fill out a form if I paint my house purple.

Landlords rarely have a sense of humor about pets in "no pet" apartments.

Now that I have been helping my uncle rent his duplex, I'm a lot more sympathetic to landlords who don't want pets in the building than when I was a pet-owning renter. You'd think a de-clawed cat couldn't do much damage in a unit with all hardwood floors. But you would be wrong.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

I was a little sad two weeks ago when the criminal trial that we were supposed to hear got dismissed (the guy plead while we were walking over from the jury assembly room and got 20 years, I assume he must have done something pretty violent). I was number 13 of the pool, so when we were walking over I assumed that, absent some pretty major bias, I was going to end up on that jury, and I was looking forward to it. I realized that I probably would have been tossed, though, when I walked into the courtroom. I went to law school with the prosecutor, and she used to work out at my gym. I don't know if I would have been biased towards her for that reason, but I'm sure I would have been challenged for cause because of that longstanding aquaintance.

My attempts to get off grand jury duty service have been in vain so I'm left with praying the homicide rate here is really low this summer so we don't have to meet often.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

(and I don't think I've ever driven above the legal limit, but maybe that's just because I grew up in NYC)
TM

Yep. I haven't done it since I moved to Chicago nine years ago.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

I can't believe I like that Chivas "Chivalry" commercial. Embarrassing.

I think it's the Cinematic Orchestra song.

[Pretty Little Flower]

Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?

I can't believe I like that Chivas "Chivalry" commercial. Embarrassing.

I think it's the Cinematic Orchestra song.

I bet you like those Ketel One commercials too. "There was a time when men were men. When men had extremely large penises, expensive clothes, expensive but macho vodka, but still did not have to shave regularly. That time was last night."

[1436]

Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?

Yep. I haven't done it since I moved to Chicago nine years ago.

And I haven't jaywalked since the last time I was in New York.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by 1436

And I haven't jaywalked since the last time I was in New York.

I jaywalked consistently in Singapore. I'm crazy like that.

TM

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower

I bet you like those Ketel One commercials too. "There was a time when men were men. When men had extremely large penises, expensive clothes, expensive but macho vodka, but still did not have to shave regularly. That time was last night."

That wasn't a commercial. You were dreaming about circle jerks again. I blame Shape Shifter.

[notcasesensitive]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

I jaywalked consistently in Singapore. I'm crazy like that.

TM

That shit'll get a person caned.